Astana-Premier Tech (opens in new tab) are the latest WorldTour team to unveil their 2021 jersey design, staying true to the familiar blue and gold scheme but adding new sponsor logos and a geometric fade in the updated look.
The Kazakh squad ensured its future by gaining the Canadian conglomerate as a co-title sponsor to supplement the funding from the Kazakhstan wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna JSC. Managing director Yana Seel has a growing influence over the direction of the team, overshadowing the role of long-term team manager Alexandr Vinokourov.
Astana-Premier Tech lost Grand Tour leader Miguel Angel Lopez to Movistar but Jakob Fuglsang, Ion Izagirre, Alexey Lutsenko and Aleksandr Vlasov all remain for 2021.
The team produced clean, white designs for Lutsenko's Kazakhstan and Luis Leon Sanchez's Spanish national champion's jerseys, while the rest of the team get a somewhat darker hue of Kazakh blue, with the arms fading to a dark navy blue to match the solid blue of the shorts.
A thin gold band on the sleeves and across the chest and back completes the muted colour scheme.
With the global pandemic hitting the team's finances before Premier Tech signed on as a partner, Astana struggled during the transfer season. Vinokourov picked up a trio of riders from the similarly struggling NTT team: Samuele Battistella, Matteo Sobrero, and Stefan De Bod.
Ben Perry, signed from the Israel Cycling Academy, brings Canadian representation to the squad, while neo-pros Andrea Piccolo, Javier Romo, Yevgeniy Fedorov and Gleb Brussenskiy complete the team.
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