Alexander Vinokurow: The return of the scandal figure – sport


The recording that Alexander Vinokurov made available to Kazakh television in the summer was a little disturbing. He found himself in a large and idyllic garden, now and then drowned out the noises of the passing cars. And because he was speaking into a smartphone that he was holding in his hand and moving a little at the same time, there were also a few blurred images. Vinokurov’s message should be very clear, it went something like this: The whole development is simply incomprehensible, he will take legal action, thanks for the great support!

Shortly before, the former professional scandal and Kazakh folk hero had been shot as a manager at the Astana cycling team. The 47-year-old was not even allowed to be present at the Tour de France, and everything indicated in the summer that his time with the team would be over. But when the team announced their direction for the new season, they also announced: Vinokourov is returning – and even as team boss, who is responsible for all decisions about drivers, employees and other processes in the sports segment.

So this is the next volte in one of the most opaque and fascinating power struggles raging in the cycling business. At the same time, it is an indication that the controversial racing team has already broken off its short trip to the west.

In the mid-noughties, this project, named after the then name of Kazakhstan’s capital, was created; it was intended to serve the authoritarian state as a cycling advertising column and in its early years also signed Lance Armstrong. Since 2012, Vinokurov, who was once banned for doping – among others in the service of Telekom and as a teammate of Jan Ullrich one of the most noticeable drivers in the peloton – has been the outwardly formative leader of the team. For years, Astana was one of the most disreputable participants in the company, despite its many doping cases and its pre-stressed staff, albeit one of the financially strongest. Many millions flowed from state-affiliated companies, especially from the Samruk-Kazyna fund. This investment resulted, among other things, in Vincenzo Nibali’s victory in the 2014 Tour de France.

Astana is now gearing up for its 17th season in professional operation – with which drivers is still unclear

But at some point the Kazakh donors began to reduce their financial contributions. Salary payments to the drivers were temporarily absent or reduced, including during the first few months of the corona pandemic. In addition, the management team was reorganized, and in 2019 the Belgian Yana Seel, 36, took over as managing director, although she had nothing to do with cycling up until then – she quickly ran into some established team members. For the 2021 season, the Canadian company Premier Tech became a shareholder. Obviously, it was also about the ominous troop from the east being given a different, more western look – Vinokurov’s summer disembarkation could also be seen in this context.

But now it’s back in the other direction. Premier Tech recently announced that it will end its engagement after the season. “Unfortunately, in our ongoing discussions and planning for the future it has become clear that we do not share the same vision. We have not been able to reach an agreement that works for both sides,” said company boss Jean Belanger. It should also have played a role that there were different opinions because of Vinokourov’s future position.

The withdrawal of the Canadians should now affect the team’s financial resources again. In between there was even speculation that the team could no longer exist, which the team now clearly contradicted: The Kazakh partners had promised their support for the new season. It would be the 17th in professional operation, although it is still unclear which team Astana can get together for this endeavor.

In the previous year, the then front man Miguel Angel Lopez moved on to Movistar for financial reasons; Alexander Wlassow, fourth in the Giro in spring, will join the German Bora-Hansgrohe team for the new season. Astana will only begin officially announcing the contract extensions and commitments in the next few days. The return of professional scandal Vinokurov is likely to be the most important person.

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