A tale of two leaders and two contracts for Astana at the Tour de France. While Jakob Fuglsang signed a two-year extension on Thursday afternoon, his stable-mate Fabio Aru has yet to agree terms with the squad for 2018. General manager Alexandre Vinokourov sat alongside the two riders as he announced the news ahead of a press conference at an airport hotel in Düsseldorf on Friday afternoon, his soft voice barely reaching to the front row.
"Yesterday, Jakob signed a contract for two more years with Astana," Vinokourov said. "We won't put pressure on Fabio before the Tour, we'll talk after the race, but we'd like him to stay with the team."
Aru's salary demands are understood to be the chief sticking point in his negotiations with Astana. Earlier this week, Il Corriere della Sera reported the Sardinian's asking price to be some €3 million per year, and noted that he had parted company with agents Alex and Johnny Carera this spring. "Fabio is a wonderful person, but our objectives are too far apart," Johnny Carera said.
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The stakes on this Tour, then, are particularly high for Aru, who will hope a podium finish might persuade Astana – or others – to come closer to his own lofty valuation. The Sardinian seemed a rider on the ascent after winning the 2015 Vuelta a España and twice placing on the podium of the Giro d'Italia, but a disappointing 13th place on last year's Tour interrupted his hitherto smooth progression in the professional ranks. His startling solo victory at the Italian Championships last weekend, however, augurs well for his Tour this time out.
"Of course, the team doesn't have a budget like Sky, but Fabio is a rider we'd like to keep," Vinokourov said, dismissing the idea that he considered leaving Aru out of the Tour team due to the uncertainty over his future. "I think he can win this Tour de France, and we certainly weren't going to leave him at home like Coquard. We're here to try to win the Tour, and we'll take about the rest afterwards."
Fuglsang, meanwhile, had no misgivings about putting pen to paper on a new contract before the Tour began, and, for their part, Astana were keen to tie down the Dane after his impressive victory at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné.
Two leaders
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