Astana Pro Team officially unveiled

By Euronews

Published on 12/12/2015 - 21:20

The Astana Pro Team was officially unveiled at the Saryarka velodrome in Astana on The Kazakh outfit celebrated its tenth birthday in style as big

The Astana Pro Team was officially unveiled at the Saryarka velodrome in Astana on

The Kazakh outfit celebrated its tenth birthday in style as big names including the likes of Vincenzo Nibali and Fabio Aru turned up wearing their usual colours.

Current general manager Alexander Vinokourov was quick to praise his team while discussing their ambitions for next season.

Alexander Vinokourov: “We’re hoping that we can go all the way in this year’s Giro d’Italia. This is one of our main objectives but so is the Tour de France and the Olympic Games in Rio. I think it’s important for us to perform well for our country but also for the Italians. I just hope our team can retain its gold medal in Brazil.”

Vincenzo Nibali will aim for glory in the Giro d’Italia on a course that suits his strengths more than perhaps those of Fabio Aru who is set to compete in his first Tour de France.

Fabio Aru: “I’ve never taken part in this event so it will be a new experience and I’ll be looking to keep my composure throughout the competition. I think this will undoubtedly be an important season for us and I’m sure I will be under a lot of pressure but this is what this sport is all about and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

New signings Eros Capecchi from Italy and Latvia’s Gatis Smukulis will join their team-mates ahead of the 2016 season which kicks off in Australia on January 19.