Astana Pro Team produce Tour de France Champion

Posted on: 29/07/2014 in: Opportunities for SMEs, Recent Developments

Astana ProTeam 2014

Congratulations to Vincent Nibali of the Astana Pro Team, who became champion of the Tour de France at the weekend. The Astana Pro Team is sponsored by the Samruk-Kazyna, a coalition of state-owned companies from Kazakhstan and named after its capital city.

Nibali’s tactics in the mountain stages of the Tour were not dissimilar to those of Team Sky: to use his Astana teammates to set a tempo hard enough to weaken the opposition, before attacking with just a few kilometres to go to the finish line. But what made him untouchable over the past three weeks, and therefore a worthy champion, were his experience and calm approach. As well as being the best climber left in the race, the best descender, and the most consistent, his focus has been intense.

The Italian rode a virtually flawless Tour de France to become only the sixth rider in the history of the sport to have won all three grand tours. He took only the best calculated risks, made no mistakes and seized every opportunity to make time against his rivals.

Exporting to an unfamiliar country like Kazakhstan can seem like a calculated risk, but with the right help and advice, any element of risk can be minimised leaving the way clear to seize the extraordinary opportunities which the country, the 9th largest in the world, can offer to UK SMEs.

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