Wout Poels joins Astana Qazaqstan Team
Dutch rider Wout Poels (36 years old) has signed a one-year contract with the WorldTour team Astana Qazaqstan Team for the 2025 season.
Wout Poels is known as a strong stage rider, performing well in the mountains. Last year, he won mountain stages in both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, and earlier he claimed victories in races like the Vuelta a Andalucía and the Volta a la Comunidad Valenciana.
Poels’ victories include various stages in WorldTour stage races such as the Volta a Catalunya, Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, Critérium du Dauphiné, Itzulia Basque Country, and Tour de Pologne. One of Wout Poels’ main achievements is his victory in the monumental classic race Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2016.
“I am excited about my move to Astana Qazaqstan Team. The team has been in the professional peloton for many years, with an impressive number of major victories, and it’s great to join such a group. Next year, I want to show the best of what I am capable of. I have a dream – to win a stage in the Giro d’Italia and thus join the list of riders who have won stages in all three Grand Tours. But, of course, the interests of the team will come first. I am looking forward to the moment I can join the team. Astana Qazaqstan Team already has Dutch riders, Cees Bol and Ide Schelling, and it will be great to be in the same team with them. I want to finish this season on a high note and approach the new year at 100%”, – said Wout Poels.
“With Wout Poels, we are gaining a very experienced and strong rider who can both support other riders and contribute to the team’s strategy from within the race as a captain, while also fighting for victories and podiums in both stage races and the classics. For Astana Qazaqstan Team, this is a strong reinforcement for the mountains and week-long stage races. I believe that in our team, Wout Poels will have a great chance to prove himself and achieve the goals he sets for himself, as well as those set by the team”, – said Alexandr Vinokurov, General Manager of Astana Qazaqstan Team.
Photo credit: @SprintCycling