Joe Dombrowski is headed to Astana
Joe Dombrowski is headed to Astana
After two years with UAE Team Emirates, Joe Dombrowski is heading elsewhere for 2022. The American climbing specialist has signed a two-year deal to join Astana.
The move comes after a season that saw Dombrowski ascend to his first-ever Grand Tour stage victory on stage 4 of the Giro d’Italia, in addition to coming close to a second Grand Tour stage win with a runner-up ride on stage 3 of the Vuelta a España. He is heading to an Astana team that will see significant turnover next season in both its lineup and its sponsorship situation. After only one year, Premier Tech is ending its title sponsorship with the team, which has seen longtime manager Alexander Vinokourov return to that role after he was temporarily removed from it earlier this year.
Dombrowski, 30, has raced at the WorldTour level since 2013, when he joined Sky after winning the Baby Giro in 2012. He spent two years with the British squad before heading to Cannondale-Garmin, and he went on to win the Tour of Utah in his first season with the team. He stayed with the squad through 2019 as it became EF Education First, and then joined UAE Team Emirates in 2020. Over the course of his career, he has made 10 Grand Tour starts, finish nine of them.
“First of all, in Joe Dombrowski we see a strong climber and an experienced helper for team leaders at the Grand Tours. Our team is going to change a lot in the upcoming season, and we are happy to strengthen our Grand Tour group with such a reliable and versatile rider like Joe,” Vinokourov said in a team press release.
“But, of course, we understand that with the experience he gained during the last years, Dombrowski could be a rider we can count on looking for a stage win or going for the General Classification in a small stage race. It is still early to talk about his goals in his first season in our team, but I am quite sure this move can be successful for both sides, our team and the rider.”
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