Astana carry on as usual despite licence concerns
Kazakh team focussing on racing at Tour de Langkawi
There may be a dark cloud of uncertainty hanging over Astana at the moment, but its team at the Tour de Langkawi is determined to carry on with business as usual.
In February the UCI requested that the Kazakh team’s WorldTour license be revoked following an audit conducted by the Institute of Sport Sciences of the University of Lausanne (ISSUL). It came after five positive tests in a year for riders associated with the team (two coming from the Astana Continental team that has since been suspended) which led UCI President Brian Cookson to tell Cyclingnews they were drinking in the last chance saloon.
Despite the grave implications of losing WorldTour status for the team and its riders, out in Malaysia the issue is the last thing on anyone’s mind.
"It's not my problem because I'm a rider and I do my job," said Andrea Guardini, who has three stages to his name already. "It's a political problem, I don't see anything, it's not our problem, we do our job and that’s it."
His comments are in a similar vein to those of Tour de France champion Vincezno Nibali, who remarked ahead of Strade Bianche last weekend that the situation was all about politics.
Valerio Agnoli, one of Guardini’s key lieutenants, echoed his leader’s sentiments in similarly cagey fashion. "The riders think about racing and don’t think about this situation," he said. "Every guy is concentrating on the race."
Even at management level, there is little acknowledgement of any impact of the whole issue.
"It is absolutely not affecting the team here," said directeur sportif Dmitri Sedoun. "We are still easy because we know how it’s working with our team and we don’t have any problems so we go ahead like every time – nothing has changed."
Should Astana lose their license, they could face a situation where their key riders look elsewhere for contracts that will enable them to take part in WorldTour races. When asked if he has considered his future in this light, Agnoli said: "Today I think about the tour of Malaysia, tomorrow I think about tomorrow. I race. I only race."

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
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Patrick is an NCTJ-trained journalist, and former deputy editor of Cyclingnews, who has seven years’ experience covering professional cycling. He has a modern languages degree from Durham University and has been able to put it to some use in what is a multi-lingual sport, with a particular focus on French and Spanish-speaking riders. Away from cycling, Patrick spends most of his time playing or watching other forms of sport - football, tennis, trail running, darts, to name a few, but he draws the line at rugby.