Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Cycling News
Cycling News
Sport
Dani Ostanek

'We're riding with a completely different mentality than last season' – XDS-Astana not chasing UCI points in 2026 despite earning 1,000 in one day

UCI Christian Scaroni Astana Cristián Rodríguez Cristian Scaroni WorldTour XDSAstana Yevgeniy Fedorov
XDS-Astana Team's Italian rider Christian Scaroni (4R) celebrates with teammates on the podium after winning the 5th and last stage, and being winner overall of the Tour of Oman cycling race from Nizwa to Green Mountain, on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP via Getty Images).

XDS-Astana have said that they moved away from last season's "one-time" strategy of chasing UCI points, even after racking up a serious gain of 1,068 points in one day on Wednesday.

In 2025, the Kazakhstani team rallied to secure WorldTour status, racking up 32 wins and 6,727 UCI points as they finished fourth in the season-end rankings among the top 18 teams during the three-year license period.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Does your sleep tracker get it right? A Pittsburgh neuroscientist weighs in
On a typical night, I go to bed wearing a tracking watch on one wrist and another type of tracker on the other wrist. Then I compare their sleep findings while I drink my morning coffee.
The Conversation
The Conversation
There's A Reason Taxi Cabs Are Almost Always Yellow
Yellow taxis are easy to spot in traffic, but the color's history goes far beyond simple visibility.
Motor1
Motor1
How ‘technoference’ can disrupt parent-child connections
Have you ever been telling someone a story when their phone lights up, and their eyes flicker toward their device?
The Conversation
The Conversation
Holding Lightning by Emily Lordi review – an intimate portrait of Whitney Houston
An empathetic biography of the the singer recasts her tumultuous later career as a triumph of self-expression
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Brian May says Queen are retiring from live tours: ‘Maybe 50 years is enough’
Rock guitarist suggested creating an interactive experience for fans similar to the ‘Abba Voyage’ show
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
"Lanterns" finds its power in fear
To fulfill his destiny, John Stewart embraces what he was trained to reject — and so should we
Salon
Salon
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play