Kashechkin needs €15 million for second Kazakh cycling team

A famous Kazakh cyclist Andrey Kashechkin has declared that Kazakhstan needs one more cycling team and that it will cost 15 million euros, Tengrinews reports.

"I think that a second, alternative cycling team needs to be created in our country,” Kashechkin said. “A very important point is that my goal is not to just create a cycling team, I want to target the young people and their education. This is a normal practice when a country has two cycling teams. Today, there are two sponsors who are willing to support me, but this is not enough.”

“I believe it is no secret that a Pro Tour team costs 15 million euro. This includes the license. Everyone understands that this is a big structure that consists of 30 athletes and 30 staff members. Compared to other sports, one can say this is nothing at all," the cyclist said.

Kashechkin’s contract with Astana Pro Team ended in 2013. The team manager then advised the athlete to search for another cycling team since Kashechkin retired from Tour de France citing an illness. Giuseppe Martinelli said that all of the cyclist’s tests were normal. The sports director added that Andrey Kashechkin and Astana had never been able to reach an understanding.

Reporting by Roza Yessenkulova, writing by Dinara Urazova