Astana Qazaqstan Team is a professional road bicycle racing team sponsored by the Samruk-Kazyna, a coalition of state-owned companies from Kazakhstan and named after its capital city Astana. Astana attained UCI ProTeam status in its inaugural year, 2007. Following a major doping scandal involving Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov, team management was terminated and new management brought in for the 2008 season. The team was then managed by Johan Bruyneel, former team manager of U.S. Postal/Discovery Channel team. Under Bruyneel the ethical nature of the team did not improve, although Astana in this period was very successful.
Alexander Nikolayevich Vinokourov is a Kazakhstani former professional road bicycle racer and the current general manager of UCI WorldTeam Astana Qazaqstan Team. He is of Russian origin. As a competitor, his achievements include two bronze medals at the World Championships, four stage wins in the Tour de France, four in the Vuelta a España plus the overall title in 2006, two Liège–Bastogne–Liège monuments, one Amstel Gold Race, and the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics Men's Road Race. Vinokourov is a past national champion of Kazakhstan, and a dual-medalist at the Summer Olympics. In 2007, he received a two-year ban from cycling for blood doping. In 2019, he was accused of race fixing by prosecutors in Liège but was later cleared of the charges.
Andrey Grigorievich Kashechkin is a Kazakhstani road racing cyclist, who last rode for the UCI ProTour team Astana.
Koen de Kort is a Dutch former professional cyclist, who competed between 2002 and 2021 for the Rabobank GS3, Astana–Würth, Astana, Team Giant–Alpecin and Trek–Segafredo teams. Since his retirement from racing, De Kort has acted as the team support manager for his last professional team Lidl–Trek.
Roman Kireyev is a former Kazakhstani road bicycle racer who rode for UCI ProTeam Astana Qazaqstan Team.
Andrey Sergeyevich Zeits is a Kazakh road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Astana Qazaqstan Team. In 2009, Zeits rode the Giro d'Italia, the first grand tour of his career, which he finished in 31st place.
The 2007 season for the Astana cycling team was its first, though the team's sponsors in the Kazakhstani government had entered the sport the year before backing the dissolved Liberty Seguros team. That same team was known as "Astana" for part of the season, including the 2006 Vuelta a España, but as the UCI license previously held by Manolo Saiz transferred to new ownership, headquartered in a new nation, it is considered a new team from 2007 onward. The team's manager for the 2007 season was former Tour de Suisse organizer Marc Biver, who had never before managed a cycling team at any level.
The 2011 season for the Astana cycling team began in January at the Tour Down Under and ended in October at the Tour of Hainan. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour. In a change from the 2010 season, the team's manager was Giuseppe Martinelli, replacing Yvon Sanquer. There was also a major change in ridership, as three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador departed for Saxo Bank–SunGard, while his doping case remains unresolved. Three Spanish domestiques followed Contador to Saxo Bank–SunGard, while two climbing talents who spent the previous season with Liquigas–Doimo, Roman Kreuziger and Robert Kišerlovski, were notable additions to the team for 2011.
The 2012 season for the Astana cycling team began in January with the Tour Down Under. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
The 2012 season for Lampre–ISD began in January at the Tour Down Under. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
Manuele Boaro is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Astana Qazaqstan Team.
The 2013 season for the Astana cycling team began in January with the Tour Down Under. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
The 2014 season for the Astana cycling team began in January with the Tour Down Under. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
This season was sponsored by the Samruk-Kazyna group as well as Air Astana, Astana Motors and Expo 2017.
The 2014 season for Lampre–Merida began in January at the Tour de San Luis. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
Astana City was a professional road bicycle racing team sponsored by the Samruk-Kazyna, a coalition of state-owned companies from Kazakhstan and named after its capital city Astana. Astana City acted as a junior feeder team to Astana Qazaqstan Team, alongside Vino 4ever SKO. The team disbanded at the end of the 2019 season.
Miguel Ángel López Moreno is a Colombian cyclist, who last rode for UCI Continental team Team Medellín–EPM.
The 2015 season for the Astana cycling team began in January with the Tour Down Under. As a UCI WorldTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
Vadim Denisovich Pronskiy is a Kazakh cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Astana Qazaqstan Team.
