Says its ‘false and stupid’ to say he’ll be part of any other team
Andrey Kashechkin has responded to reports yesterday that he will be racing with the Continental Pro RusVelo team rather than the Astana setup, rejecting the story as being completely false.
A statement on his personal webpage today has made it clear that he sees no truth in the suggestions that he will lose his place on the current WorldTour squad.
“Andrey Kashechkin is involved with Team Pro Team Astana for the seasons 2011, 2012 and 2013,” said the statement. “He will be in Calpe in Spain from this Monday, December 5 to participate in training camp for next season.
“It is completely false and stupid to announce him as part of the Rusvelo team or another team other than the Astana ProTeam
Kashechkin moved to the Astana team prior to the Vuelta a España, completing a rare mid-season move. He had been racing with the Lampre ISD team up until that point. He said prior to the Spanish tour that he felt he could finish in the top five, but was way off the pace and had a best stage placing of 51st. He ended up riding for his team-mates in the event, most notably Fredrik Kessiakoff.
The difference between stated goals and achieved levels was faulted by the Astana commercial director Aydar Mahmet, who said that while the rider had ‘enormous potential,’ that he was wrong to make big promises if he didn’t have the form to achieve them.
However, as Kashechkin has made clear, suggestions that his contract will not be honoured appear to be inaccurate. He sees himself as having two more years with the team, and will aim to perform more strongly this coming season than he did in 2011.