Astana Kazakhstan is hardly enjoying its best campaign through the first two weeks of the Tour de France, with only one top-10 finish, few breakaways, and eight riders not competing in the major classes.

Alexey Lutsenko's eighth place in the Col de Granon is the Kazakhstan team's best result so far, and their raw stars are also fighting for their second top 10 overall finish in as many years.

Before the start of the sweltering 202.5-km 15th stage from the southern Occitanie region to the rest stop of Carcassonne, the team's American climber, Joe Dombrowski, said Astana's fortunes could turn around quickly in the final week of racing.

"It was a little slim," the 31-year-old admitted. 'Lusenko is focused on the GC and he's kind of floating around out there. Lusenko is focused on GC and he's kind of floating there. If he finishes with a good GC, I will be happy. And the Pyrenees stage is a unique opportunity if I can get into the breakaway and use good legs."

"In the Grand Tours, there are riders who are not in great shape in the first half of the race but show their strength in the second half. So every day is a new opportunity. When you go into a break and it's the right move and you get to the finish and you win a stage, all of a sudden the team's Grand Tour goes from a disaster to a huge success.

"So it's the little things."

Astana Kazakstan is coming off a tough season with just four wins, including two at the Kazakhstan National Championships. The team's three season's worth of results have lifted it out of the morass of relegation from the World Tour, but it still languishes in 21st place (last of all World Tour teams) in the 2022 rankings.

Vincenzo Nibali's fourth place at the Giro d'Italia was a rare bright spot, supporting the Italians, who Dombrowski returned to in May. Elsewhere, newcomers Gianni Moscon (long covid) and Miguel Angel Lopez (thigh injury) suffered illness and injury.

However, despite the lack of results so far this season, Dombrowski claimed that the players are not under pressure from management.

"I mean, obviously we're here to race, but at this point I can't say that the coaches or management have put pressure on us. 'I mean, we all have different styles. Everybody's different, but I can't say that's been the case for us so far."

While the team is fully backing Lusenko in his quest for a top-10 finish in Paris at the Tour, others, including Dombrowski, also have a chance. Dombrowski entered the breakaway on stage 9 to Chatel, and he hopes to be among the frontrunners in the next stage in the Pyrenees.

"Personally, I don't have a problem. 'Personally, I don't have a problem with it. To be honest, I think the conditions in the Giro were better than here. But I'm doing the best I can. One day I was in a breakaway group, but I didn't have the legs. I'll try again on a stage more suited to the Pyrenees.

"In the Pyrenees we will see if we can make a good breakaway. Also, regarding the heat: ...... I don't really like these super hot conditions. Compared to other riders, I'm in better shape in cooler weather. But you can't change the weather."

Dombrowski commented that the heat, with the peloton hitting 40°C as they head south for a rest day in Carcassonne, could have a major impact on future races, especially the overall race.

"I think it will have a big impact," he said. . "In this kind of heat, there are miscalculations, weather conditions, .