Pete Kennaugh joins Astana Qazaqstan as British influx continues

Pete Kennaugh will work for Astana Qazaqstan in 2025 as a sports director, as the Kazakh team's British influx continues.

The 35-year-old former British national champion hung up his wheels in 2019 , after a career mostly spent at Team Sky. He went on to become team manager of Trinity Racing, a British Continental development squad, working with riders like Tom Gloag, Luke Lamperti and Bob Donaldson. Trinity have an uncertain future ahead of them, according to reports earlier this year.

After Sir Mark Cavendish spent his final two years with Astana, breaking the Tour de France stage win record in the process, it was announced earlier this week that Alex Dowsett will join as a performance engineer, before Kennaugh's own announcement. It's understood that Cavendish had a role in bringing Dowsett on board. Cavendish and Kennaugh are friends, as well as both hailing form the Isle of Man.

"Alongside the Performance Group, which we have significantly strengthened, changes will also affect the sports directors in the 2025 season," Astana boss Alexandr Vinokourov said in a press release. "Our team will welcome three new directors. We know Lorenzo Lapage very well; he is an experienced and responsible Sports Director with an excellent vision of the race, as well as a great administrator and team coordinator off the bike.

"In addition, we have two young sports directors: Peter Kennaugh and Dario Cataldo. Both are former professional riders with a fresh perspective on modern cycling. Peter Kennaugh already has some experience as a sports director, while Dario Cataldo is transitioning directly from being a rider to this new role. That said, he knows our team very well, having spent several years with us, so he will be able to contribute not only to Astana Qazaqstan Team but also to our Development Team in his work with the riders."

Starting from next season, Astana Qazaqstan will receive sponsorship funds from Chinese carbon fiber company XDS. The deal will see the team receive a long-term investment of “at least five years”, with financing “at the level of leading WorldTour teams”, according to a press release shared this summer.