Davide Ballerini will bring an end to his spell at Soudal-QuickStep at the end of this season and return to Astana-Qazaqstan, as the two WorldTour teams continue to change their rosters for 2024.
Soudal-QuickStep are trying to build a Tour de France squad to help Remco Evenepoel, while Astana-Qazaqstan are making eclectic signings as they chase UCI WorldTour ranking points after a difficult 2023.
Cycling transfers - All the latest news and announcements for the 2024 season
Ballerini previously rode for Astana in 2019 before moving to Patrick Lefevere’s team the following season.
“I know the team very well, this is a solid group where the people know how to work, how to create a good ambience and to put all things together,” Ballerini said of Astana-Qazaqstan. “And I know that the team knows how to win.”
Ballerini’s victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 2021 was the highlight of his four-year spell with Patrick Lefevere's team and he became a fixture in their cobbled Classics unit. The 28-year-old will again target the cobbles in 2024.
“I am expecting great things in the next season, and I am sure everything will go in the right way both for me and the team,” Ballerini said.
“Now with this move I am getting the new goals, the new motivation. Of course, first of all I’d like to focus on the Classic races and especially on Paris-Roubaix.”
Team manager Alexandr Vinokourov hailed Ballerini’s return to the fold.
“We spent a good season together in 2019 and now I am happy he is coming back to our team stronger, even more experienced and motivated,” Vinokourov said.
“We’d like to see Davide as one of team leaders in the Northern Classics, but also as a team player and stage hunter in the Grand Tours.”
Ballerini is the latest new arrival to be announced by Astana-Qazaqstan following the signings of Anthon Charmig from Uno-X, Lorenzo Fortunato from Eolo-Kometa, Max Kanter from Movistar, Ide Schelling from Bora-Hansgrohe and Henok Mulubrhan from Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè.
Vinokourov has also outline his desire to offer Mark Cavendish another contract for 2024, but the Manxman, who had announced his retirement for the end of this season, has yet to indicate his intentions after the crash that ended his Tour de France on stage 8.
Soudal-QuickStep, meanwhile, announced on Friday that Jordi Warlop would step up from their develop team to the WorldTour squad in 2024.
The 27-year-old found himself at the development squad this season following the collapse of B&B Hotels last winter. The Belgian had previously spent four seasons at Sport Vlaanderern-Baloise.
Mauri Vansevenant has also extended his stay at Soudal-QuickStep, signing a new, three-year contract with the team. The Belgian turned professional with the team midway through the 2020 season and he underlined his potential with victory at the following year’s GP Industria & Artigianato. He won a stage of the Tour of Oman this season.
“Signing for three more years is a sign of the trust the team has in me,” Vansevenant said. “I have been able to develop myself really well in this amazing squad and I hope to keep on doing that. My goals for the future are simple: I want to keep growing, keep working and keep performing.”
