Was Davis shunned by Astana managment in Turkey?

Australian Allan Davis is aiming for Milano-San Remo

Australian Allan Davis is aiming for Milano-San Remo (Image credit: AFP)

Davis has essentially slammed Astana management, over two articles published in the Sydney Morning Herald this week in which the Australian claims he was left to fend for himself at the Tour of Turkey.

"My team mates are fine they r doing what they r told," said Davis via his Twitter feed.

The articles cite the situation Davis faced on the final two stages of the Tour of Turkey where he did not have the support of his Astana teammates as he had expected. On Saturday and Sunday he finished 10th and 6th respectively. Davis finished in 74th place overall.

Going into Saturday's penultimate stage, he indicated that he was planning to go for the win in the expected sprint finish. But apparently the team didn't want him to.

At the dinner table the night before, he told the team “I was going for it," he told the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday. "And they just said then that the director had a meeting with the Kazakhis this morning, and said something different... So ... that's Astana. That's all I can say."

While not naming names, Tuesday's article also suggests that other riders are currently facing similar situations either being left out of team meetings or discovering too late that alternative tactics have been put in place without their knowledge.

"It's a fact," he said referring to his belief that he and other Australians were now on the outer with their current teams. "There definitely [are such riders]. I can tell you firsthand. It's disappointing … As Aussies, we finally have this opportunity to have a team. It's normal [for it to be] interested in Australian riders up for contract. Some teams should just respect that, get on with the year and get as many results out of us as they can while they still have us."

 


 

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1