29 riders of the ProTeamAstana cycling team, team management, sponsors, leadership of the cycling federation, domestic and foreign press, fans of Kazakhstani cycling - just a few hundred people gathered on Thursday at the Saryarka cycling track for the solemn ceremony of introducing the 2013 ProTeamAstana cycling team. The host of the ceremony was the famous sports television commentator Sergei KURDIUKOV.

The cycling team "Pro Team Astana" closes the 2012 season with 22 victories, including the triumph of Maxim IGLINSKY at Liege-Bastogne-Liège, and the victory of Enrico GASPAROTTO at the Amstel Gold Race. The cycling team's riders also managed to win two stages at the Giro de Italia and win the time trial at the Vuelta.

The team's prospects for the next season are connected with hopes for success at the spring classics and, of course, at the Giro de Italia. The leader of the team at the Giro will be a new rider from Astana - Italian Vincenzo NIBALI - one of the brightest leaders of the world peloton. Among the new promising acquisitions of the cycling team are also Danish cyclist Jakob FULSANG, Italian riders Valerio AGNOLI, Alessandro VANOTTI, sprinter Andrea GUARDINI, and the young Kazakh star - world champion among underseaters Alexey LUTSENKO.

“ProTeamAstana” for the 2013 season includes 10 Kazakhstanis, 10 Italian riders, 2 cyclists from Slovenia, one representative each from the USA, Ukraine, Russia, Denmark, Belgium, Estonia and Sweden.

As the President of the Cycling Federation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kairat KELIMBETOV, noted in his speech at the ceremony: “Astana” is our dream team and it is aimed at the biggest challenges in the new season, one of which is Nibali’s victory at the Giro and an excellent performance at the Tour de France. Today we are opening the cycle of preparation for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and the Astana cycling team is a wonderful base for such big tasks.”

At the presentation, the new general manager of "ProTeamAstana" was officially announced. As expected, it was Olympic champion Alexander VINOKUROV. According to VINOKUROV, the team will be determined to win all the races in which it will participate, and for this it has assembled an excellent roster, ready to perform both in one-day races and in the super stage races of the Big Three Pro Tour.

In addition to working in the cycling team, Alexander VINOKUROV also intends to promote cycling in his homeland. According to him, work is now underway to organize the first professional cycling race in Kazakhstan. A one-day cycling race with the participation of several pro tour teams will tentatively be held in Almaty in early October.

Composition of the "ProTeamAstana" team 2013

1. Valerio AGNOLI – Italy

2. Fabio ARU – Italy

3. Asan BAZAEV – Kazakhstan

4. Boru BOZIC – Slovenia

5. Janets BRAIKOVIC – Slovenia

6. Alexander DYACHENKO – Kazakhstan

7. Enrico GASPAROTTO – Italy

8. Francesco GAVAZZI - Italy

9. Andrey GRIVKO – Ukraine

10. Dmitry GRUZDEV – Kazakhstan

11. Jacopo GUARNIERI – Italy

12. Andrea GUARDINI – Italy

13. Evan HUFFMAN – USA

14. Maxim IGLINSKY – Kazakhstan

15. Andrey KASHECHKIN – Kazakhstan

16. Tanel KANGERT – Estonia

17. Arman KAMYSHEV – Kazakhstan

18. Frederick KESIAKOFF – Sweden

19. Alexey LUTSENKO – Kazakhstan

20. Dmitry MURAVYEV – Kazakhstan

21. Simone PONZI – Italy

22. Egor SILIN – Russia

23. Kevin ZEELDREYERS – Belgium

24. Paolo TIRALONGO – Italy

25. Ruslan TLEUBAEV – Kazakhstan

26. Alessandro VANOTTI – Italy

27. Andrey ZEITS – Kazakhstan

28. Jakob FULSANG – Denmark

29. Vincenzo NIBALI – Italy