2010 Astana season

2010 team roster

Ages as of January 1, 2010

;Riders who joined the team for the 2010 season

;Riders who left the team during or after the 2009 season

One-day races

Spring classics

Maxim Iglinskiy won Montepaschi Strade Bianche in March, a rare spring season one-day win in the team's history. He made his race-winning move against breakaway companions Thomas Lövkvist and Michael Rogers 200 m from the finish line, as the road narrowed. He and Lövkvist nearly touched shoulders and crashed, but both held their lines and stayed upright. Iglinskiy, who had never ridden this particular race before, called it "the most beautiful win of [his] career."{{cite web | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100410012551/http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/iglinskiy-pounces-to-strade-bianche-win| archive-date= 10 April 2010 | url-status= live}}{{cite web | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100323220917/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/4th-montepaschi-strade-bianche-1-1/results| archive-date= 23 March 2010 | url-status= live}}

Fall races

Stage races

Contador scored the team's first victory of 2010 in the Volta ao Algarve, a mountain stage which finished at Malhão. The victory also gave him the race's overall leadership.{{cite web | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100219235425/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/volta-ao-algarve-2-1/stage-3/results| archive-date= 19 February 2010 | url-status= live}} A solid second place in the event's closing individual time trial meant Contador retained the lead through the conclusion of the race.{{cite web | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100222060255/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/volta-ao-algarve-2-1/stage-5-itt/results| archive-date= 22 February 2010 | url-status= live}}

Grand Tours

Giro d'Italia

Vinokourov made the Giro an early goal for himself, announcing in December that he would ride it in 2010 for the first time in his career. He was the team leader, as Contador mounted only a defense of his Tour crown in 2010 and not a return to the Giro or the Vuelta. He stated that his goal was to wear the race leader's pink jersey for one day, and not to win the race overall.{{cite web | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100616175334/http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vinokourov-to-lead-astana-at-the-giro-ditalia| archive-date= 16 June 2010 | url-status= live}} The team showed well in the stage 1 time trial in Amsterdam. Hryvko was one of the earliest riders to take the course and set a time that stood as best for much of the day. Later, Vinokourov turned in a fourth-place ride, five seconds off the winning time set by 's Bradley Wiggins.{{cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100511011904/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/93rd-giro-ditalia-gt/stage-1/results |archive-date = 2010-05-11 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100511190154/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/93rd-giro-ditalia-gt/stage-3/results |archive-date = 2010-05-11 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100513081051/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/93rd-giro-ditalia-gt/stage-4/results |archive-date = 2010-05-13 |url-status = dead

Stage 7 was long and hilly, and run partially on unpaved roads. It also happened to be run on a day with very heavy rain, making the final kilometers of the course muddy and treacherous. After the overall contenders had stayed together for most of the stage, Nibali crashed on the first section of unpaved roads and needed a bike change. Vinokourov took the opportunity to put in an attack, and he and three others finished together well ahead of Nibali, giving Vinokourov the pink jersey again. Though he had prospered on the stage, Vinokourov openly questioned afterwards whether such terrain should be used in a multi-day event.{{cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100517162940/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/93rd-giro-ditalia-gt/stage-7/results |archive-date = 2010-05-17 |url-status = dead

After three stages won by sprinters and breakaways, the overall standings were again shuffled in stage 11. This was the Giro's longest stage, and was again run on a very rainy day. In this stage, a group of approximately 50 riders broke away and gained considerable time on the peloton. Their biggest advantage was 20 minutes, and 40 of them were still together ahead of the peloton at the end of the stage, with the winner Evgeni Petrov still 13 minutes ahead. The teams of the overall contenders had been leading a chase until the day's last climb, when the chase stopped altogether and the time gap remained the same the rest of the way. Astana was one of the only teams who did not have a rider finish ahead of the peloton, and the result was Vinokourov again losing the pink jersey, this time to Richie Porte.

Vinokourov finished in the top ten in several of the stages in the Giro's second half. Much as he did in stage 7, he made a selective break in a counterattack in stage 12, finishing fourth.{{cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100609111053/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/93rd-giro-ditalia-gt/stage-12/results |archive-date = 2010-06-09 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100616024538/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/93rd-giro-ditalia-gt/stage-14/results |archive-date = 2010-06-16 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100614183457/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/93rd-giro-ditalia-gt/stage-15/results |archive-date = 2010-06-14 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100611160133/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/93rd-giro-ditalia-gt/stage-16/results |archive-date = 2010-06-11 |url-status = dead |archive-date=2010-06-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620033217/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/93rd-giro-ditalia-gt/stage-19/results |url-status=dead

Tour de France

Two-time and defending champion Contador was one of the riders frequently cited as a major favorite to win the Tour de France.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704035044/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/38022368/ns/sports-tour_de_france |archive-date=2010-07-04 |url-status=dead |access-date=2010-09-30 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100704102925/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/prologue/results |archive-date = 2010-07-04 |url-status = dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100909170705/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-3/results| archive-date= 9 September 2010 | url-status= live}} After three stages decided by field sprints, the medium mountain seventh stage to Station des Rousses in the Jura began to sort out the overall standings. Vinokourov, Contador, and all serious overall contenders finished together on the same time. They moved up to fifth and sixth overall as some sprinters who were still highly placed because of the Tour's flat first week fell from the top of the standings.{{cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100913224049/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-7/results |archive-date = 2010-09-13 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100915234053/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-8/results |archive-date = 2010-09-15 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110304064049/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-9/results |archive-date = 2011-03-04 |url-status = dead

In stage 12 three days later, it seemed that Vinokourov put in a winning attack on the stage's final climb, Mende. But Contador put in an attack from the trailing peloton, something which is not normally done by the teammate of a race's solo leader. Contador drew with him Joaquim Rodríguez, and they easily rode past Vinokourov. Rodríguez won the sprint while Contador took back ten seconds on Schleck. Vinokourov finished third, 4 seconds behind Rodríguez. He was later visibly furious that his teammate's move had denied him a stage win.{{cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100716175221/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-12/results |archive-date = 2010-07-16 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110304064515/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-13/results |archive-date = 2011-03-04 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100819075548/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-15/results |archive-date = 2010-08-19 |url-status = dead

Schleck and Contador easily distinguished themselves as the two strongest riders in stage 17, which ended at the Col du Tourmalet. They took a lead of over a minute against the race's other contenders. In the final few kilometers of the stage, Schleck repeatedly tried to drop Contador from his wheel to make up the time he needed to regain the yellow jersey, but Contador stayed with him. At the end, Contador did not try to sprint for the stage win, keeping the yellow jersey while Schleck took his second stage win.{{cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110304064940/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-17/results |archive-date = 2011-03-04 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110304065202/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-19/results |archive-date = 2011-03-04 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100815033234/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-20/results |archive-date = 2010-08-15 |url-status = dead

Alberto Contador clenbuterol positive

In September 2010, Contador revealed that a urine sample he had given on July 21, a rest day in the Tour de France, had contained traces of clenbuterol. He has stated, due to the number of other tests he passed and that only a tiny amount of the substance was detected in the one he failed, that food contamination was to blame. Renowned anti-doping doctor Don Catlin considered this explanation plausible. Contador stated that he is the victim, and he can "hold his head high" and that he thinks he should not be punished. Several people related to the sport said that there is little benefit from using the drug, especially in the amounts that were discovered.

The UCI issued a statement reporting that the concentration was 50 picograms per millilitre, and that this was 400 times below the minimum standards of detection capability required by WADA, and that further scientific investigation would be required. Contador has been provisionally suspended from competition, although this had no short-term effect as he had already finished his racing programme for the 2010 season. Contador had been informed of the results over a month earlier, on August 24. Later the amount discovered was clarified as 40 times below the minimum standards, rather than the 400 times originally reported by the UCI. Contador's scientific adviser claimed that he would have needed 180 times the amount detected to gain any benefit in his performance. Contador nonetheless stands to be suspended from the sport and have his Tour title stripped, depending on the outcome of the case.

The matter remained unresolved throughout 2011, and therefore past Contador's association with the Astana team, as he signed with for 2011. On 6 February 2012, Contador was given a backdated two-year ban and stripped of both his 2010 Tour win for Astana, and the 2011 Giro d'Italia win for .

Vuelta a España

Astana entered the Vuelta without a serious overall contender. Pereiro was supposed to ride as squad leader, but had, after the Tour of Poland been feeling pain in his right arm that he said related back to his career threatening crash in the 2008 Tour de France. The injury kept him from training and it further required surgery to remove a lump between the metacarpal bones in his right hand. Pereiro attempted a faith-healing cure as well as conventional treatment, but did not take the Vuelta's start in Seville, essentially hastening his retirement.{{cite web

The squad was 20th in the team time trial which kicked off the race, finishing better than only the small Spanish teams and .{{cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100829074003/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/65th-vuelta-a-espana-his/stage-1/results |archive-date = 2010-08-29 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110220042318/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/65th-vuelta-a-espana-his/stage-6/results |archive-date = 2011-02-20 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100905220351/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/65th-vuelta-a-espana-his/stage-8/results |archive-date = 2010-09-05 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110220042828/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/65th-vuelta-a-espana-his/stage-12/results |archive-date = 2011-02-20 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100922030211/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/65th-vuelta-a-espana-his/stage-21/results |archive-date = 2010-09-22 |url-status = dead

Season victories

Victory originally obtained by Contador but vacated

Footnotes

References

References

1. "UCI Rankings".
2. "Video - Breaking News Videos from". CNN.com.
3. Laura Weislo. "Contador's Contaminated Food: Excuse Or Possibility?". Cyclingnews.com.
4. (2010-09-30). "BBC Sport - Cycling - Angry cyclist Alberto Contador pleads innocence". BBC News.
5. "Tour de France winner rejects positive doping test – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs". News.blogs.cnn.com.
6. "Contador blames contaminated meat - Yahoo! Eurosport". Uk.eurosport.yahoo.com.
7. "Blazin' Saddles - Yahoo! Eurosport". Uk.eurosport.yahoo.com.
8. "Video - Breaking News Videos from". CNN.com.
9. "Cyclist Alberto Contador blames food contamination for failed steroid test – amFIX - CNN.com Blogs". Amfix.blogs.cnn.com.
10. "Contador suspended after positive test - Yahoo! Eurosport". Uk.eurosport.yahoo.com.
11. "Alberto Contador Tests Positive For Clenbuterol". Cyclingnews.com.
12. Greg Johnson. "Alberto Contador Suspended Over Traces Of Clenbuterol From Tour De France Test". Cyclingnews.com.
13. (2010-09-30). "BBC News - Tour de France winner Alberto Contador tests positive". Bbc.co.uk.
14. "Contador's scientific expert de Boer details defense".
15. (6 February 2012). "CAS sanctions Contador with two year ban in clenbutorol case". Future Publishing Limited.