Andrey Zeits will join Mitchelton-Scott for the 2020 season, bringing the curtain down on a twelve-year spell with Astana. The Kazakhstani rider turned professional in 2008 and has started and finished 18 Grand Tours during his tenure at Astana. A strong all-rounder, Zeits established himself as one of Astana`s key domestiques during his time with the team. He helped Vincenzo Nibali to Giro d´Italia victory in 2013 and 2016, and was also in the Astana team that supported Fabio Aru when he won the Vuelta a España in 2015. The 32-year-old has one victory as a professional, a stage win on the 2015 Tour of Hainan. `I have spent 12 years in Astana from the first year I became a professional and have worked with a lot of great Grand Tour riders, including Contador, Nibali, Aru, Landa and López,` Zeits said in a statement on Wednesday.ADVERTISEMENT `My speciality is Grand Tours. I have done 18 of them now and managed to finish them all. My body feels good for three weeks and I will be glad to share my knowledge and qualities with the team to achieve high places in general classification for my leaders.` After spending his entire career to this point at Astana, the move to Mitchelton-Scott marks a new departure for Zeits, who placed eigth in the road race at the Rio 2016 Olympics, the best result by a Kazakhstani rider outside of the medals won by Astana general manager Alexandre Vinokourov in 2000 and 2012. `When I received an offer from Mitchelton-Scott, I thought seriously, why not?` Zeits said. `I have known about the existence of the team for a long time and for me personally this is an experience I haven´t seen yet. It will be all new to me.`
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