Alberto Bettiol is anticipated to change from EF Training-EasyPost to Astana Qazaqstan in the course of the August switch window, as Astana apparently use their new funding from China to right away strengthen their roster and so pursue UCI rating factors and a spot within the 2026 WorldTour.
Mid-season transfers are uncommon in skilled biking however are allowed between August 1-15 beneath UCI guidelines. The rider and the 2 groups concerned should strike a cope with the UCI then giving closing approval. Cyclingnews understands that the 2 groups have reached a deal, with the UCI anticipated to provide the inexperienced gentle for the deal after the Paris Olympics finish on Sunday.
Ciro Scognamiglio from La Gazzetta dello Sport first revealed information of the switch on Thursday morning, with Daniel Benson explaining through his Substack web page that Bettiol will agree phrases for a brand new and really profitable three and a half yr contract with Astana Qazaqstan. Cyclingnews has obtained details about the anticipated deal from two sources.
Cyclingnews reported in the course of the first week of the Tour de France that Chinese language carbon producer XDS Carbon-Tech will put money into the Astana workforce, sparking the arrival of a significant Chinese language sponsor within the males’s WorldTour and “vital modifications’ within the workforce.
The deal might enable EF Training-EasyPost to signal an extra rider within the switch window or free-up funds for a brand new signing for 2025. Bettiol is amongst 15 riders on the finish of the contracts in 2024. Simon Carr has already revealed he’ll be a part of Cofidis, whereas Rigoberto Uran will retire. EF Training-EasyPost have nonetheless to announce any new signings.
Bettiol received the Italian nationwide highway race title in June, Milan-Turin in March and was fifth at Milan-San Remo. He has scored 1434 factors to this point in the course of the 2024 season. They are going to stay with EF Training-EasyPost for the three-year workforce rating that’s vitally essential awarding the subsequent WorldTour licences for 2026 however any factors that Bettiol scores with Astana in 2024 will go to their factors complete.
In keeping with information analyst Raúl Banqueri, Astana are at the moment ranked twenty first and so danger lacking out on a WorldTour licence for 2026-2028. They should rating 3,300 factors greater than Staff dsm-firmenich PostNL within the subsequent 18 months, if they’re to develop into one of many 18 WorldTour groups in 2026. Additionally they want to attain extra factors than Arkéa-B&B Lodge and Uno-X Mobility, who’re additionally focusing on promotion. Cofidis are additionally vulnerable to relegation if rival groups rating considerably extra factors within the subsequent 18 months.
Bettiol may very well be the primary of a number of new signings for Astana for 2024 and 2025 as they chase UCI rating factors.
The Italian might assist rating valuable factors within the closing months of 2024 and is prone to journey a sequence of one-day races the place extra factors are on provide, equivalent to Bretagne Traditional-Ouest-France, the Bemer Cyclassics in Hamburg and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in Canada.
