Longstanding XDS Astana team manager Alexandr Vinokourov has issued a stark warning that the squad will need to remain in the WorldTour for its new four-year cycle in 2026 in order to continue.
In a major interview with L'Équipe, Vinokourov said that new Chinese sponsor XDS wanted to go on backing the squad in the years to come.
But he warned that its survival depended on staying in the WorldTour – something that as current standings go remains very much in the balance, with XDS Astana in 21st place in the UCI rankings and well adrift of the last of the top 18 places that guarantee automatic admission to cycling's top table.
Vinokourov remained upbeat about the team's chances of reviving their fortunes, pointing to new signings like Wout Poels and Sergio Higuita to try and garner more points. However, his plans to bring both Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) into the team failed to work out.
"We're realistic, there are two or three teams right now who have the best riders in the peloton, so we have to adapt," Vinokourov told L'Équipe.
"I tried to convince Mauro Gianetti [UAE Team Emirates-XRG team principal] to let me buy out Juan Ayuso, I don't think that would have affected UAE overly because they have enough star riders to win everywhere.
"We'd have liked to have had him, but without his management's agreement, that wasn't possible. We were also on the trail of Vlasov to get him to come back to us, and we could have done it if Evenepoel had signed with Red Bull; they'd have passed him on so Remco could have his spot."
When it came to describing Astana's previous season, the former Olympic Champion did not pull any punches, saying that the one key success had been Mark Cavendish's record-breaking 35th Tour de France win. However, beyond that, he qualified it directly as "clearly a shit season, otherwise we wouldn't have 5,000 UCI points [to regain a guaranteed WorldTour position for 2026 – Ed.] to try and get back."
Vinokourov denied the rumours that the XDS Astana annual team budget now stood at over €50 million, saying it was currently less than 30 million. However, it had still permitted him to sign top-ranking riders including Higuita, Poels, Fausto Masnada, Clément Champoussin, and Diego Ulissi.
He also revealed that the team was using a data analyst to calculate which races were best for them to gain UCI points. At the Tour Down Under the team scored 30, though they had more luck at the GP Castellón and Clàssica Valenciana, racking up 315 points via two podiums and various minor places at the pair of Spanish races.
"We don't have a rider to win an overall classification in a three-week race but we can aim to strike some important blows," Vinokourov said.
"We've worked a lot on the question of the most beneficial courses for us thanks to a software program made by our data analyst which tells us to go to such and such a race depending on the depth of the field and the probability of getting more or less points."
He cited the Volta ao Algarve as a case in point where the presence of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), and UAE would reduce their chances of success.
Asked if the backing of the Chinese sponsors into 2026 hinged on their ongoing presence in the WorldTour, rather than financial support, Vinokourov pointed at the bigger picture, about which he remained resolutely upbeat.
"We don't have a choice, we have to remain in the WorldTour to continue to survive," he said. "I'm convinced we'll be able to reverse the trend and find our place amongst the best.
"It was very good luck to cross paths with XDS. They're celebrating their 30th anniversary and this is the team's 20th, so it's a good marriage."
