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Astana's build-up to the 2014 campaignও is underway in earnest in Calpe, where the team has gathered for its first formal training camp ahead of the new season. The team arrived in 🐲Spain on December 10 and will remain until Friday.

The Tour de France is team leader 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Vincenzo Nibali's primary goal for 2014, but the Giro winner explained that🐬, as ever, his season is broken into two distinct blocks, with a rest period in between. The first block begins with the Tour de San Luis in Argentina in January and runs until Liège-Bastogne-Liège, while the second is centred on the Tour.

"I'm a rider who's always had multiple objectives through the season and broken it up into two parts, with a break in between," Nibali ♋said earlier in the week. "I've always managed to do well by following that plan, but it's not a😼lways easy either."

Among the new signings on show in Calpe is Michele Scarponi, still training in hi🐓s L♛ampre-Merida kit as the final days of his 2013 contract wind down. The veteran Scarponi has been signed with a dual purpose: to support Nibali at the Tour and to lead Astana's chal🦂lenge at the Giro d'Italia.

"It's the first time we're on the same team, apart from a couple of races with Italy obviously, but Scarpon꧑i's a very good rider and he’ll be able to show his worth out on the road," Nibali said. Scarponi was victim of a crash early on the camp, but reported no serious after-effects from the fall and was able to pla💦y a full part in training throughout.

The Astana squad broke into a series of smaller groups to undertake a series of team time trial drills on Sunday, and then had a five and a half hour training ride on Monday, before posing for the official tea⭕m photographs the following day.

For a gallery of pictures on and off the bike from the Astana camp, click here.