Miguel Ángel López out of Giro d’Italia after suffering wound very close to artery in TT crash
Miguel Ángel López is out of the Giro d’Italia after suffering a wound very close to an artery during a time trial crash.
Astana
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA
Kazakhstan | Team Website
Astana is a team that would have gladdened the hearts of the people behind the UCI’s original globalisation project: a Kazakh squad, led by an Italian and a Dane.
Since appearing on the scene in 2007, the squad has become a mainstay of the top-flight, with a host of wins in the world’s biggest races.
Most natably, Italian Vincenzo Nibali won the 2014 Tour de France after finishing third overall in the 2012 edition and claiming the Giro d’Italia victory in 2013.
The team successfully nurtured a new Grand Tour talent in the shape of Fabio Aru, who won the 2015 Vuelta a España after placing second in the Giro behind Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) earlier in the year.
With Nibali moving to Bahrain-Merida in 2017 and Aru to UAE Team Emirates in 2018, the squad is now without a big Grand Tour leader.
However, they have a couple of other riders quickly gaining momentum in bigger stage races: not least Jakob Fuglsang and Colombian prospect Miguel Ángel López.
Astana has also found success in one-day races and individual stages, with Michael Valgren, Omar Fraile, Alexey Lutsenko, Magnus Cort Nielsen and old hand Luis Leon Sanchez all claiming victories in recent seasons. Valgren’s wins in the 2018 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Amstel Gold Race shows that the team can be a force in the Classics.
Astana’s success, however, has been tempered by controversy over the years, including several doping cases within the team, including Maxim and Valentin Iglinskiy both failing tests for banned blood booster EPO in late 2014.
The UCI conducted a review into the team and its management, and while the team’s WorldTour status looked in jeopardy, it was awarded a licence for 2015.
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Miguel Ángel López will leave Astana as team can’t afford him
Miguel Ángel López will be leaving Astana at the end of the season because the team can’t afford him.
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‘I’m thinking about my wife and son’: Miguel Angel Lopez emotional after stage victory at his first Tour de France
Miguel Ángel López was emotional at the finish of stage 17 of the Tour de France, after a huge stage victory on the Col de la Loze,
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Alexey Lutsenko solos to first breakaway victory of Tour de France 2020 on stage six
Alexey Lutsenko blasted clear of his rivals to take the first breakaway victory of the 2020 Tour de France.
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Miguel Ángel López crashes into road sign after riders neutralise racing on descent at Tour de France
Miguel Ángel López collided with a road sign after the peloton opted to temporarily neutralise the racing on stage one of the Tour de France 2020.
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Astana rider diagnosed with coronavirus before Il Lombardia
Astana’s Hugo Houle had to sit out of Il Lombardia after being diagnosed with coronavirus.
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Jakob Fuglsang takes a dominant Monument victory at Il Lombardia 2020
The 2019 Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner beat George Bennett after Remco Evenepoel crashed out
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Aleksandr Vlasov puts in a commanding display to take the Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge 2020
The second addition of the one-day race saw a series of big attacks before the man from Astana took control
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Gorka Izagirre and Alex Aranburu make it a one-two for Astana at the Gran Trittico Lombardo
Extremely heavy rain meant that live pictures were very hard to come by and made for some intense racing
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Astana rider racks up 11 hours and 368km on Zwift
What’s your longest ride on Zwift?
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Astana riders and staff have not been paid since start of 2020, Vinokourov confirms
The team boss says wages will be paid this week
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Alexey Lutsenko says he ‘didn’t make any mistake in the final’ after missing out to Tadej Pogačar
Alexey Lutsenko said he “did not make any mistake in the final” after he was beaten by Tadej Pogačar on stage five of the UAE Tour 2020.
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Alexandre Vinokourov calls for CADF to conduct investigation into leaked Fuglsang report
The Astana general manager also said he respects the UCI's fight against doping in cycling
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Anti-doping investigators release statement on leaked Jakob Fuglsang and Michele Ferrari report
The anti-doping investigators behind a leaked report have released a statement over allegations that two Astana riders had met with Dr Michele Ferrari.
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Jakob Fuglsang and Alexey Lutsenko respond to claims they met with Michele Ferrari
Jakob Fuglsang and Alexey Lutsenko have both responded to the claims they have met with disgraced doping doctor Michele Ferrari.
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Michele Ferrari denies links to Jakob Fuglsang and Astana
The Italian doctor also said he has never been on a scooter in his life so couldn't have motor-paced the Danish rider, as allegations have claimed
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Astana release statement responding to Jakob Fuglsang allegations
Astana have released a statement responding to allegations centred around their Danish star Jakob Fuglsang.
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Leaked report links Jakob Fuglsang to banned doping doctor Michele Ferrari
Alexey Lutsenko is also accused of being present at one alleged meeting between the Dane and the doctor
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Astana will ride Wilier Triestina bikes in 2020
Astana have announced they will ride Wilier Triestina bikes next season as their partnership with Argon 18 comes to an end.
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Alexandre Vinokourov crowned Ironman 70.3 world champion (for his age group)
Alexandre Vinokourov proved his longevity by winning the Ironman 70.3 world title for his age category in Nice.
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Miguel Ángel López steals race lead on stage five after first mountain at Vuelta a España 2019
Nicolas Roche has lost his race lead in the Vuelta a España, handing the red jersey back to Miguel Ángel López after a revealing stage five.
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Jakob Fuglsang extends contract with Astana
Jakob Fuglsang has extended his contract with Astana, having ridden the best season of his career.
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Jakob Fuglsang returns to racing at Vuelta a España as Astana take strong squad
Miguel Ángel López, who finished on the podium last year, will also feature
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Unlucky Jakob Fuglsang was in his best shape ever at Tour de France, say Astana
The Dane was forced to abandon with injury on stage 16
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Jakob Fuglsang abandons Tour de France 2019
Jakob Fuglsang has abandoned the Tour de France after a crash in the final of stage 15.
