Astana Qazaqstan have announced the signing of Fausto Masnada on a one-year contract for the 2025 season.
The Italian joins from Soudal-QuickStep to become Astana's 12th signing for next season, where they'll be fighting to score the points needed to stay in the WorldTour following major investment from Chinese brand XDS Carbon-Tech.
Masnada joins a long incomings list which also includes Sergio Higuita (from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious), Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) and Clement Champoussin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels).
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Mark Cavendish and Alexey Lutsenko were Astana Qazaqstan's team leaders in 2024 but Lutsenko has moved to Israel-Premier Tech and the Manxman will end his racing career at the Saitama and Singapore Tour de France criteriums before a possible management role in the new-look Chinese-funded team.
"If someone had told me just a few weeks ago that I’d be joining Astana Qazaqstan Team next year, I probably wouldn’t have believed it," Masnada said upon signing his new deal.
"I’m thrilled to have this opportunity and excited to be part of such a respected team. After two difficult seasons, this is the perfect chance for me to reset and aim for new goals.
"The project the team is building for 2025 is incredibly inspiring, and I can’t wait to contribute to its success. I’m grateful to the managers and everyone involved in making this contract happen, and for the trust they’ve placed in me. I can’t wait to wear the new jersey and represent the team."
Masnada will form a strong Italian contingent on the new-look team. Ulissi, Nicola Conci, Alessandro Romele and Florian Kajamini on the list of Italians signing up for 2025 to join Alberto Bettiol, Michele Gazzoli, Matteo Malucelli, Cristian Scaroni, Lorenzo Fortunato and Simone Velasco on the roster.
Climbing specialist Masnada has six wins to his name during an eight-year pro career, including the 2018 Tour of Hainan and stages at the Tour of the Alps and Tour of Oman. His biggest achievement so far, though, came at the 2019 Giro d'Italia, where he won stage 6 in San Giovanni Rotondo from the breakaway.
"We are happy to welcome Fausto Masnada to Astana Qazaqstan Team," Astana general manager Alexander Vinokourov said.
"Fausto is an experienced rider who has shown excellent results in stage races, mountain stages, and one-day classics.
"I'm confident that his potential is far from exhausted. He has faced some challenges in recent seasons, but I believe that within our team, he will be able to unlock his full potential and return to a high level.
"His determination, work ethic, and ability to perform on difficult courses perfectly align with the goals we are pursuing. We are excited to see him race in our team's jersey for the first time, and we expect."
