Astana have an even bigger goal than winning races in 2015. They want to set the wrongs of the 2014 season, with the doping scandals that engulfed the team and almost cost them their WorldTour licence, right, by obeying the laws and winning big races.

“We want to erase every doubt and respect the rules,” General Manager Alexandre Vinokourov and Kazakh Cycling Federation President Darkhan Kaletayev told La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper. “We’ve turned the page.”

Astana are under intense scrutiny from the UCI and Kaletayev revealed last week that the Kazakh Federation almost shut the team down over the winter. But the President insists there is not systematic doping in the team, just poor choices made by five individuals.

“I don’t know what more we can do,” Vinokourov said, “Maybe have a chaperone with every one of our cyclists?”

Astana are not out of the woods yet either. After more of their riders were involved in the Padova doping case, the licensing commission is still looking into the team and the UCI reform commission may choose to take the teams license away on the basis of their evidence.

The UCI reform commission (CIRC) will release its report at the end of February and the licence commission will have its time to reflect on the Padua dossier – both could have serious consequences for team Astana and may see the final nail being put in their coffin.