Astana to ride Wilier bikes in 2020

Kazakh WorldTour squad Astana will ride on Wilier Triestina bikes in 2020, the team and its new bike supplier announced on Monday.

The team's three-year agreement with Canadian bike supplier Argon 18 finished at the end of the 2019 season, and while the length of the new agreement with Wilier has not been announced, the Italian manufacturer will also supply bikes to the Astana Women's Team and the men's Continental feeder teams Vino-Astana Motors and Astana City in 2020.

Astana will use the Wilier 0 SLR on the road, while the Turbine time trial bike is the weapon of choice against the clock, all shod with Corima wheels and Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2 groupsets, and sprayed in Astana team colours.

"I'm very glad that we've started working with Wilier," said Astana general manager Alexandre Vinokourov in a press release on Monday. "It's a very successful company with a long history, and it has always been a family business. This fits perfectly with the mentality of the staff and riders at Astana Pro Team, where we treat each other like family in our quest for victories in what will be the 15th season for the team at the highest level of professional cycling.

"We are happy to co-operate with the brand, and I'm sure they can raise the bar for us, while we can do the same for them.

"We've tested their road and TT bikes, and both are excellent pieces of equipment. At Astana Pro Team, we hope that these bikes will help us to win even more races next year. I thank them for their trust in our team and look forward to a successful partnership," he said.

The joint press release from Astana and Wilier added that the team and its riders will work closely with the bike company in the future to help develop new products.

"We are proud to announce this agreement that we're certain will play a central role in Wilier Triestina's growth and overall success," Wilier CEO Andrea Gastaldello said.

"Astana Pro Team concretely shares our ambition to return to winning the world's top races. It is an essential contribution to continue creating increasingly innovative products, as the highest expression of the value of the Wilier Triestina brand. The cycling season that has just ended brought major successes to Astana Pro Team and we look forward to celebrating exciting new victories with them," he said.