The Astana Qazaqstan UCI WorldTour cycling team has announced it has received investment from Chinese carbon product manufacturer XDS Carbon-Tech.
The team stated that the draft agreement “provides for long-term investment for a period of at least five years and financing at the level of leading WorldTour teams.”
Negotiations took place with the Kazakh WorldTour team during the Tour de France and a “mutual understanding” was reached between the two parties.
The agreement marks the arrival of a major Chinese sponsor in the men’s WorldTour.
XDS claims to own one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in the world.
Alexander Vinokourov, the general manager of Astana Qazaqstan Team, will continue to play a key role in the team’s management. Still, the new team will likely be registered as a Chinese WorldTour team in 2025.
Vinokurov, said: “We have been diligently searching for an investor capable of taking the team to a new level of development. We are pleased that the management of XDS fully shares our goals and future vision for the project.
“During the negotiations, we discussed many topics, and our views on the development of the team completely coincided. XDS is ready for long-term investment, which, among other things, will include technical partnership with a new bicycle brand.
“We understand that the team and the entire project as a whole will face some significant changes, but we are ready for this. I am very happy to be part of this project and look to the future with great enthusiasm.”
Yancong Tan, chief executive of XDS, added: “Since 2022, we started seeking for the opportunity to get involved in the WorldTour. It was very lucky that we met Astana Qazaqstan Team this year in the Shanghai show.
“During discussions we were sure that Astana was the team we wanted. For the following seasons, XDS will be the strongest backup for the team. We will make sure the team has very enough budget and the best technical support.”
The significant new investment will be used to hire several big-name riders to target enough UCI ranking points to ensure the team retains WorldTour status in 2026 when the UCI governing body awards new three-year World Tour licences.
