Alberto Bettiol is expected to move from EF Education-Easy Post to Astana Kazakstan in the August transfer market. Astana looks to immediately strengthen its roster with new funds from China, and will be targeting UCI ranking points and a spot in the 2026 World Tour.

Mid-season transfers are rare in pro cycling, but UCI rules allow them between August 1 and 15. The athlete and the two teams must agree to the UCI giving its final approval; according to Cyclingnews, both teams have reached an agreement and the UCI is expected to give the go-ahead for the deal after the Paris Olympics on Sunday.

Ciro Scognamiglio of La Gazzetta dello Sport first revealed the news of the transfer on Thursday morning, when Daniel Benson, via his Substack page, reported that Vettiol had agreed with Astana Kazakstan to a new, highly lucrative three and a half year Cyclingnews obtained information about the anticipated deal from two sources.

Cyclingnews reported during the first week of the Tour de France that Chinese carbon manufacturer XDS Carbontech would invest in the Astana team.

The deal will allow EF Education-Easy Post to sign additional riders in the transfer market and secure funding for a new contract in 2025. Bettiol is one of 15 riders whose contracts expire in 2024. Simon Carr has already announced that he will move to Cofidis, Rigoberto Urán will retire, and EF Education-Easy Post has yet to announce a new contract.

Bettiol won the Italian national road race title in June, won Milan-Turin in March, and finished fifth in Milan-San Remo. 2024 season has so far yielded 1434 points. 2026 next World Tour license They will remain in the EF Education-Easy Post in the three-year team standings, which is crucial to winning the next World Tour license in 2026, but any points Betiol earns in Astana in 2024 will be added to their point total.

According to data analyst Raoul Bankelli, Astana is currently ranked 21st and risks missing out on a World Tour license for 2026-2028; to be one of the 18 World Tour teams in 2026, the team dsm- in the next 18 months. needs to score 3,300 points more than firmenich PostNL. They also need to score more points than Arkea B&B Hotel and Uno X Mobility, who are also seeking promotion. Cofidis is also in danger of relegation if its rivals increase their points significantly over the next 18 months.

For Astana in its pursuit of UCI ranking points, Bettiol could be the first of several new contenders for 2024 and 2025.

The Italian could help them gain valuable points in the final months of 2024 and could be a key factor in the Bretagne Classique Ouest France, the Bemer Cyclassics in Hamburg, and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec in Canada and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, among others, are likely to compete in a series of one-day races that offer more points.