Fabio Aru has been confirmed as Astana's leader for the upcoming 2017 Vuelta a España which will start in Nîmes, France on August 19.
Aru, who won the Vuelta in 2015, will lead the team after a good performance at the Tour de France where he finished fifth overall and spent two days in the yellow jersey.
The Italian rider has had a tumultuous season, which was expected to centre around the Giro d'Italia, until a knee injury put him out of his home Grand Tour and forced him to focus on the Tour.
>>> Vuelta a España route 2017: key climbs and what to expect
The addition of Aru to the Vuelta a España start list makes for a very strong line-up for the final Grand Tour of 2017, with Chris Froome (Team Sky), Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale), Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida), and both Simon and Adam Yates (Orica-Scott) expected to take to the start line.
The full Astana line-up will be announced in due course, but will certainly included young Colombian Grand Tour prospect Miguel Angel Lopez, as well as Luis Leon Sanchez and Pello Bilbao.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
-
Italian neo-pro Michele Gazzoli banned for one year for 'non-intentional' anti-doping violation23-year-old has Astana-Qazaqstan contract terminated as a result of sanction
-
Miguel Ángel López suspended by Astana-Qazaqstan over reported links to doctor under police investigation
Team suspend Colombian rider until circumstances of the Police investigation are clarified
-
Vincenzo Nibali rolls back the years with shark attack on stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia
37-year-old up to fifth on general classification with five stages left
-
