Currently enjoying the best season of his career thus far, Amstel Gold winner Enrico Gasparotto has secured his future by inking a two-year deal with his Astana team. The 30 year Italian has extended his current deal to the end of 2014, and brought about in part by his strong spring. He finished seventh in the Trofeo Laigueglia in February, then won the Amstel Gold Race, placed eleventh in Flèche Wallonne and third in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April.
The team emphasised both these performances and also his general fit with the team. “The decision to renew the rider’s contract was based on what Enrico brings to the team, not only in terms of victories but also because of his excellent partnership with his teammates,” it said in a statement announcing the extension. “His win at the Amstel Gold Race, third place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and unwavering commitment in his other races offer the ideal stimulus to look for more victories and to set new goals for Gasparotto and the whole of Pro Team Astana.”
Gasparotto turned pro in 2005 with Liquigas-Bianchi and quickly found success, taking a stage of the Volta a Catalunya and the Italian national road race title. After wearing the Maglia Rosa in the 2007 Giro and netting second overall in the Tour of Denmark, he moved to Barloworld and then, as 2008 Ster Elektrotoer and Giro della Romagna winner, secured a one year deal with Lampre.
He has been with Astana since 2010 and looks forward to more time in the Kazakh setup. “I am very happy to renew, and I will try to repay the faith that has been placed in me by doing all I can to get some more big results – not just for me, but for my teammates as well,” he said.
Aside from possibly being the most lucrative deal of his pro career, it also brings an element of personal stability. “Riding with the same team for five years will be a new personal record for me. I have already been with Pro Team Astana for three years and I know this team inside out. At the most important stage of my career, I think this is the best environment for me to be able to express myself completely, as has been the case this year.”
Next up for Gasparotto is the Tours of Austria and Poland, which he will use as preparation for the Vuelta a España. His big target is the world road race championships, which will take in much of the same roads that he won the Amstel Gold Race on. His experiences there make him believe he can do something big at the worlds, either for himself or as part of the squadra azzurra.