Gianni Moscon will be leaving Ineos Grenadiers at the end of the season, after six years with the British team.
Italian rider Moscon, who has been a the centre of multiple controversies in recent years, will be making the switch to Astana from next year on a two-year contract.
The 27-year-old, previously a promising one-day racer, has struggled for form in recent years but said he is making the switch in search of a new challenge.
Moscon, from Trento, said: “After six years spent in one team, I am going to take a serious step in my career. I think that this is a kind of challenge for me, motivation to keep on growing, and a new experience that I am sure will be successful. Over the years, I have managed to accumulate a lot of experience, and now I would like to use it to the fullest in a new team, in a new environment.”
During his career, Moscon has come close to winning some of the biggest races, including fifth in Paris-Roubaix, third in the Tour of Flanders, and fourth in the World Championships.
But he has also been the centre of headlines away from his results, most recently in the 2020 Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, where he was caught on camera throwing a competitors bike out of the way, hitting another rider with it in the process - the latest in a long list of controversies that includes racially abusing a rider in 2017 and hitting another rider in the 2018 Tour de France.
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Astana manager Alexandr Vinokourov said: “As well as being suited to one-day races and individual time trials, Gianni is a reliable team rider who can provide powerful support for the team’s Grand Tour leaders. After six years in the same team, we hope that this move to Astana will allow Gianni to further develop as a rider, especially as he is still young, and will inspire him and help him to unlock his rich potential even more."
