It is been a tumultuous season for Astana Qazaqstan from a sponsorship perspective. After including Mark Cavendish to the roster on the final minute, the staff turned into embroiled in a backward and forward with Scicon over shades, and now there is alternate afoot within the wheels division.
Some individuals of the staff have not too long ago been noticed the use of HED wheels, and now not the standard providing from Corima. Cavendish used the brand new hoops on the fresh Giro di Sicilia, as did the race winner, Alexey Lutsenko, whilst others are lately the use of them on the Excursion of the Alps.
The transfer is in all probability a bid to strengthen the aerodynamic bundle of the staff motorcycles and go for a showed tubeless possibility. Corima have it appears begun to offer a tubeless possibility too however Astana Qazaqstan made up our minds to paintings with two providers on the similar time.
Adjustments in apparatus and function first resolution are not the rest ordinary within the trendy peloton, with groups even the use of sponsor-incorrect equipment, particularly in time trials.
There may be normally an effort made to hide the actual producer. However it’s transparent that Astana Qazaqstan are the use of HED wheels; the 3 massive blue HED trademarks are one thing of a giveaway.
The loss of any surreptitiousness at the a part of the mechanics means that that is no one thing used to focus on a particular race however is a part of a longer-term transfer to make use of HED tubeless wheels.
Each Astana Qazaqstan and HED showed to Cyclingnews that an legitimate provider deal had certainly been struck.
“Astana are driving our wheels and we’re overjoyed to be supplying them. There are at all times riders right here and there time trialling on our merchandise but it surely has been some time since we had a whole Professional Excursion staff on our wheels,” HED informed Cyclingnews.
“We’re a small corporate doing our personal production, and supplying an entire staff is a large dedication. To start with the staff approached us searching for extra aerodynamic wheel choices for TT, and we constructed and despatched a number of Vanquish disc/Vanquish 8 units to them in early spring. After some trying out they asked mass get started wheels as neatly.”
The blue trademarks? An easy reason why: “As a result of we will, they usually glance cool.”
Astana Qazaqstan showed that HED is a provider however now not an entire substitute for Corima, who’re nonetheless offering the staff with wheels.
It seems that the present combine might be merely because of HED now not having the ability to provide sufficient wheels on this type of quick time frame, and suggests a fervour at the a part of Astana to get going at the new equipment once imaginable, irrespective of the optics.
That is the second one spherical of sponsor and kit adjustments at Astana this yr, following the talk surrounding shades previous within the yr.
As published by means of Cyclingnews, Italian corporate Scicon terminated its contract after Cavendish, who counts Oakley as a long-time private sponsor, signed for the staff and raced in sunglasses from the rival emblem.
Supply Through https://www.cyclingnews.com/information/more-sponsor-shake-up-for-astana-riders-spotted-on-striking-hed-wheels/
