Chinese carbon products manufacturer XDS Carbon-Tech will join as a sponsor in 2025, and Astana Qazaqstan will have a new bike, several new riders, and a new name for next season - XdS (Carbon-Tech) - Astana Qazaqstan, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

It is the first time since the team was founded in 2007 that Astana, the team's state sponsor, has not become the first name in the official title. The Shenzen-based company has become a major investor in the team and is trying to make "significant changes."

The partnership was confirmed at the Tour de France on May 7, but after Cyclingnews announced the news of the investment the week before, the new sponsorship arrived in time for Astana to fight for a spot on the World Tour in 2025. 

As it stands, they are 2 of 1 teams heading into relegation, ending the season from 2023 to 2024 with 13,608 points, about 18 points away from Cofidis, who is ranked 5000th.This is the final position where WT licenses will be granted in 2026 at the start of the next cycle.

Mark Cavendish has officially retired after achieving a record 35th Tour de France stage victory against Astana, but their new budget has allowed them to introduce the service of 12 new riders in 2025. 

Diego Ulissi, Wout Poels, Mike Tunissen and Sergio Igita are expected to become the biggest new scorers. The Italian will also sign Alberto Bettiol in the second half of the 2024 season and will be a headline feature for the classic team. 

It was not only the new rider but also the staff, former British pro Alex Dowsett joined as a performance engineer and Helmut Dringer, Manuel Crespo, and Morgan Socin also joined the team to strengthen coaching and data science staff. You have come to the board to see if you can help.

Alexandr Vinokurov's team could race under a Chinese license next year, and a new title sponsor is also offering equipment after Astana broke up with bike sponsor Wilier. Their new bike comes from XDS Carbon-Tech's own bike brand and is expected to be the X-Lab AD9aero bike and the lightweight RS9.

"We have been eagerly looking for investors who can take our team to a new level of development. We understand that the team and the whole project will face some significant changes, but we are ready for this," said Vinokurov when Astana announced the partnership.

"Next season, xds will be the strongest backup for the team. We will make sure the team has sufficient budget and the best technical support," said Yancong Tan, CEO of XDS.