| Astana | |
|---|---|
| 2011 season | |
 | |
| UCI code | AST |
| Status | UCI ProTeam |
| World Tour Rank | 14th (434 points)[1] |
| Manager | Giuseppe Martinelli |
| Main sponsor(s) | Samruk-Kazyna |
| Based | Kazakhstan |
| Bicycles | Specialized |
| Groupset | SRAM |
| Season victories | |
| One-day races | none |
| Stage race overall | 2 |
| Stage race stages | 8 |
| National Championships | 1 |
| Most wins | Valentin Iglinsky (3 wins) |
| Best ranked rider | Alexander Vinokourov (16th) |
The 2011 season for the Astana cycling team began in January at the Tour Down Under and ended in October at the Tour of Hainan. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour. In a change from the 2010 season, the team's manager was Giuseppe Martinelli, replacing Yvon Sanquer. There was also a major change in ridership, as three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador departed for Saxo Bank–SunGard, while his doping case remains unresolved. Three Spanish domestiques followed Contador to Saxo Bank–SunGard, while two climbing talents who spent the previous season with Liquigas–Doimo, Roman Kreuziger and Robert Kišerlovski, were notable additions to the team for 2011.
Alexander Vinokourov was the team's leader alongside Kreuziger. Vinokourov stated before the season that 2011 would likely be his last year as a professional rider.[2] He sustained a serious crash at the Tour de France. He broke his right femur and retired from the sport for a time, but he eventually went back on this decision and his decision from before the season, opting instead to return for the 2012 season.
True to their longtime identity as a stage racing team, all of Astana's 2011 victories came in stage races. They had a much lesser presence at the Grand Tours than they did when Contador rode for them, achieving just one stage win and sixth overall as their best placing, both from the Giro d'Italia. They also took stage wins at seven other races.
- ^ "UCI Rankings". uci.org. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ Kröner, Hedwig (29 January 2011). "Two Leaders Spearhead Reshuffled Astana". Cycling News. Retrieved 3 December 2011.