Fabio Aru was the centre of attention during the Astana press conference in the team’s hotel overlooking the Porto di San Lorenzo near San Remo on Thursday afternoon after revealing he had extended his contract with the Astana team until the end of 2017, despite the licence problems with the UCI.
Aru secured his role as team captain for the Giro d’Italia by winning a stage and finishing third overall in 2014. This year he is expected to take on Alberto Contador, Richie Porte and Rigoberto Uran and fight for the maglia rosa. With Vincenzo Nibali focused on the Tour de France, Aru is the only Italian rider with a chance of overall success and so Italy expects him to save national pride and fill Nibali’s shoes in the Giro d’Italia and when the Sicilian eventually retires.
Cyclingnews understands Aru has a series of clauses in his contract that will see his salary grow significantly based on his results and an eventual victory at the Giro d’Italia. The deal also secures his group of teammates and staff, including Paolo Tiralongo and Diego Rosa. Aru opted to build his own team within the Astana team rather than consider other offers. He is apparently not concerned about Astana’s licence problems with the UCI.
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“The Astana team allowed me turn professional two and half years ago. They’ve always believed in me and my group, and we’ve created a strong group. I’m happy here, so I’m happy to stay with Astana,” Aru said.
“We’ve got our licence. I preferred to focus on my training and keep working hard, like everyone in the team is doing. That’s what we’re paid to do. We’re going to stay focused on cycling.”
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