The XDS Astana crew’s push to realize sufficient factors to stay within the WorldTour on the finish of the three-year promotion/relegation cycle this 12 months has gotten off to a flying begin. The crew went from being twenty first within the 2024 UCI rankings to second, solely positioned behind Tadej Pogačar’s UAE Workforce Emirates squad after two months of racing in 2025.
Nevertheless, the crew nonetheless have an extended approach to go within the three-year rankings after dismal factors hauls in 2023 and 2024. They’re nonetheless in twenty first place within the 2023-2025 rankings as of February 24, with a deficit of three,397.91 factors on 18th positioned Cofidis. That margin is down from 4,719.57 factors on the finish of final season.
Whereas XDS Astana have closed the hole to Cofidis, and the opposite two groups simply forward of them – Arkéa-B&B Lodges and Uno-X Mobility – that leaves Seventeenth-placed Picnic-PostNL solely one other 218.58 factors forward of the 18th spot, and also will be beneath stress to realize factors to keep away from relegation.
Workforce supervisor Dario Cataldo informed Wielerflits this week that the crew has been engaged on filling efficiency gaps since final 12 months once they focussed on delivering Mark Cavendish to a file variety of stage wins within the Tour de France.
“It’s not at all times straightforward to place your finger on what precisely was lacking and the way you fill these gaps,” Cataldo stated. “Furthermore, you can not obtain one thing like that in two days. It’s a mixture of fine riders, good workers members and good materials that ensures a motivated group. The great outcomes are the end result when all these pillars come collectively.”
The crew has benefitted from performances corresponding to Christian Scaroni’s total win within the Tour des Alpes and Traditional Var in addition to his different podium placings. Aaron Gate’s second place within the Cadel Evans Nice Ocean Street Race was price 250 factors whereas riders corresponding to Max Kanter, Clément Champoussin and Matteo Malucelli have a number of high 10’s contributing to their tally.
A mix of a money infusion from the Chinese language bicycle maker XDS and a robust checklist of recruits coming into the crew for 2025, focussed not on Grand Tour total finishes however a greater diversity of outcomes.
“We opted for riders who’ve confirmed that they are often constant all through the season,” Cataldo stated. “You even have excellent riders who can solely peak in just a few races per season, however we ignored them.
“Then you have got an excellent chief for the classification within the Tour de France, for instance. However that could be a troublesome objective to attain, and with these guys you miss a big a part of the remainder of the season. All of us have guys who can rating loads of factors in all one-day races and quick stage races. They know what they must do, we now have a great core.”
The crew nonetheless imagine they will stay within the WorldTour, he added.
“We nonetheless imagine in that. We not solely have good riders, but additionally made smart decisions within the calendar. In any case, there’s a good technique, however it’s primarily centered on this 12 months.
“If we’re now not within the WorldTour subsequent 12 months, is {that a} catastrophe? Aren’t there nonetheless massive groups which might be now not WorldTeams, however can nonetheless experience all the massive races? In fact you would possibly miss just a few races, however you’ll be able to proceed to race at a excessive stage.”
