Vincenzo Nibali will return to Astana, the team for which the 36-year-old Sicilian cyclist raced from 2013 to 2016 and where he achieved some of the greatest successes of his career, including two victories in the Giro d'Italia (2013 and 2016) and the Tour de France (2014).
This was announced by the Kazakh team itself.
"I am very happy to be back in Team Astana, because for me it is a real family that has given me so much and together with which I have achieved my greatest successes - the words of the Shark -.
I know most of the management and the staff, so I will return to a team that I know very well. "As for the objectives, Nibali is not unbalanced:" It is difficult now to talk about specific expectations, as well as plans for next season. In the meantime, for me it will be a pleasant reunion with the team and I would like to enjoy next season to the fullest.
Of course, I would like to test myself, achieve certain results, but at the same time I am interested in providing my experience to young riders. In any case - he concludes -, we will discuss with the management again various aspects of the new season, we will determine the objectives, both as a team and personally, and after that we will begin to move in the chosen direction ".
"We are happy with this return - the comment of the general manager, Alexandr Vinokurov -. Nibali needs no introduction, he is a true champion and leader. He probably spent the best years of his career in our team, and I think the the fact that he will end it with us. His arrival will help us transform and improve the team, which in the new season will undergo great changes, and help the youngest to grow. However - he concludes - I believe that Vincenzo has not yet said his last word in cycling, so in some races we can still count on him as a leader to achieve new successes together. "
