Phonak-Astana-Saiz

Marc Biver, former director of the Tour de Suisse, has formed a management company to operate the new Astana Team, the Neue Züricher Zeitung has reported. He is acting on behalf of the Kazakhstani prime minister. The company is to be called Zeus and will be based in Neuenburg, Switzerland, thus making Astana a Swiss team. Biver speaks of "one of the largest budgets in cycling," with the Kazakhstani government and a consortium of the five largest Kazakhstani business each giving half of the money.

The newspaper further reports that Biver has taken over "half a dozen masseurs and mechanics" from Team Phonak, which is ending after the end of this season, but that he is "not interested" in the four directeurs sportifs. Without naming names, the paper adds that he has signed "21 of 28 pros", but that he is waiting on further actions until next week, when he expects to get a four-year Pro Tour license.

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