The XDS Astana group’s push to achieve sufficient factors to stay within the WorldTour on the finish of the three-year promotion/relegation cycle this yr has gotten off to a flying begin. The group went from being twenty first within the 2024 UCI rankings to second, solely positioned behind Tadej Pogačar’s UAE Crew Emirates squad after two months of racing in 2025.
Nonetheless, the group nonetheless have a protracted 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 below stress to achieve factors to keep away from relegation.
Crew supervisor Dario Cataldo informed Wielerflits this week that the group has been engaged on filling efficiency gaps since final yr after they focussed on delivering Mark Cavendish to a report variety of stage wins within the Tour de France.
“It isn’t 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’t 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 nice outcomes are the outcome when all these pillars come collectively.”
The group has benefitted from performances comparable to Christian Scaroni’s general win within the Tour des Alpes and Basic Var in addition to his different podium placings. Aaron Gate’s second place within the Cadel Evans Nice Ocean Highway Race was value 250 factors whereas riders comparable to Max Kanter, Clément Champoussin and Matteo Malucelli have a number of prime 10’s contributing to their tally.
A mix of a money infusion from the Chinese language bicycle maker XDS and a robust listing of recruits coming into the group for 2025, focussed not on Grand Tour general finishes however a greater variety 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 a number of races per season, however we ignored them.
“Then you will have an excellent chief for the classification within the Tour de France, for instance. However that could be a troublesome aim to realize, and with these guys you miss a big a part of the remainder of the season. All of us have guys who can rating numerous factors in all one-day races and brief stage races. They know what they must do, now we have a superb core.”
The group nonetheless consider they’ll stay within the WorldTour, he added.
“We nonetheless consider in that. We not solely have good riders, but in addition made smart decisions within the calendar. In any case, there’s a good technique, however it’s primarily targeted on this yr.
“If we’re not within the WorldTour subsequent yr, is {that a} catastrophe? Aren’t there nonetheless large groups which can be not WorldTeams, however can nonetheless experience all the large races? In fact you would possibly miss a number of races, however you may proceed to race at a excessive stage.”
