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Alexander Vinokourov

Personal information
Full name	Alexander Nikolaivich Vinokourov Алекса́ндр Николаевич Винокуров
Nickname	Vino
Date of birth	September 16, 1973 (1973-09-16) (age 33)
Country	Kazakhstan
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	68 kg (150 lb)
Team information
Current team	Astana
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Professional team(s)
1998–1999 2000–2005 2006 2006–	Casino Team Telekom/T-Mobile Liberty Seguros-Würth Astana
Major wins
Vuelta a España (2006), 4 stages Tour de France, 5 stages Liège-Bastogne-Liège (2005) Amstel Gold Race (2003) Paris-Nice (2002, 2003) Dauphiné Libéré (1999) Tour de Suisse (2003) Deutschland Tour (2001)
Infobox last updated on:
July 23, 2006

Alexander Nikolaevich Vinokourov, also written Alexandre Vinokourov, (born 16 September 1973 in Petropavlovsk, Soviet Union, now Petropavl, Kazakhstan) is a Kazakhstani professional road bicycle racer. He is often referred to by the nickname "Vino" and is known to be a fearless attacker and a good all-rounder. He delivered a positive A-test for blood doping on 24 July 2007.^[1] As a result of Vinokourov's failed test, his entire Astana Team pulled out of the 2007 Tour de France after being requested to withdraw by ASO president Patrice Clerc^[2]. Image File history File links Current_sport. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 330 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (783 × 1421 pixel, file size: 224 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) cropped version of File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Kazakhstan. ... The metre (American English:meter) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The U.S. National Prototype Kilogram, which currently serves as the primary standard for measuring mass in the U.S. It was assigned to the United States in 1889 and is periodically recertified and traceable to the primary international standard, The Kilogram, held at the Bureau International des Poids et... The pound (abbreviations: lb or, sometimes in the United States, #) is a unit of mass (called weight in everyday parlance) in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ... Petropavl (Kazakh: ), also known as Petropavlovsk (from Russian: , not to be confused with Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) is a city by Ishim River in Northern Kazakhstan close to the border with Russia, about 350km west of Omsk along the Trans-Siberian Railway. ... Road bicycle racing is a popular bicycle racing sport held on the road (following the geography of the area), using racing bicycles. ... Blood doping is the practice of illicitly boosting the number of red blood cells (RBCs) in the circulation in order to enhance athletic performance. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The Astana Team (UCI Team Code: AST), is a professional road bicycle racing team sponsored by the Astana group, a coalition of state-owned companies from Kazakhstan - including Air Astana - named after its capital. ... Stages in 2007 The 2007 Tour de France is the 94th Tour de France, taking place from July 7 to July 29, 2007. ... The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) is part of the French media group, EPA (Philippe Amaury Publications), and is well-known as the organiser of various major sporting events, including the Tour de France and Paris-Nice professional cycle road races, and the Paris-Dakar Rally. ... This biographical article related to cycling is a stub. ...

Early professional career

After competing in the 1996 Olympic Games road race for the Kazakhstan national team^[3], Vinokourov moved to France in 1997 and rode for the French elite team EC Saint-Etienne Loire de Pierre Rivory. He was offered a contract by Vincent Lavenu, then director of the Casino squad (now Ag2r) and started his professional career in 1998 with the Casino team. In his first year he won six races which included the Four Days of Dunkirk, Tour de l'Oise, and stages in the Tour of Poland and Circuit des Mines.^[4] (Redirected from 1996 Olympic Games) Categories: 1996 Summer Olympics ... Ag2r team photo at sign in during stage 11 of the 2006 Tour de France AG2R Prévoyance (UCI Team Code: A2R) are a French cycling team which did not take part in the inaugural UCI ProTour 2005, having to make do with being invited to compete in French races... AG2R Prévoyance (UCI Team Code: A2R) are a French cycling team which did not take part in the inaugural UCI ProTour 2005, having to make do with being invited to compete in French races, such as Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix or the Tour de France. ... Les Quatre Jours de Dunkerque (English: the Four Days of Dunkirk) is an elite cycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. ... The peloton in the 2004 Tour of Poland. ...

At the start of the 1999 season, he won the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana stage race and 3 months later he won two stages of the G.P. du Midi Libre. He followed this by winning the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré when he beat the US Postal team rider Jonathan Vaughters. Vinokourov had won stage 2 and the yellow jersey but lost it to Vaughters after the Mont Ventoux time trial, but he was able to regain it on the following mountain stage after several attacks and withheld the US Postal team on the final stage to win the prestigious stage race.^[5] After this display, he was seen as a potential future tour contender. The Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana is a road cycling stage race held in the Comunitat Valenciana region of Spain. ... The Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré is an annual cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first half of June. ... Jonathan Vaughters is an American former professional racing cyclist. ... Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km north-east of Carpentras, Vaucluse. ... In many racing sports an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. ...

In 2000 he joined Team Telekom. He won the Combination competition in Paris-Nice and finished third in the General classification of Critérium International. ^[6] In the Tour de France he finished 15th overall after working for team captain Jan Ullrich. His first win for the German Team was on stage 18 in the Vuelta a España in which he displayed his characteristic panache by bridging up over the final 15 kilometres and sprinting past the breakaway duo of the day, Roberto Laiseka and Vicente Garcia Acosta in the last 300 metres to steal the stage victory.^[7] Several weeks later, he achieved a second place finish in the Road Race of the Olympic Games behind Telekom teammate Jan Ullrich and in front of another Telekom teammate Andreas Kloden.^[8] Jan Ullrich leading the T-Mobile team in the team time trial stage of the 2004 Tour de France T-Mobile Team is an international professional road bicycle racing team. ... Paris-Nice, nicknamed the race to the sun, is an annual professional cycling stage race held annually each March. ... The Critérium International is a two day bicycle stage race held in France every spring. ... Jan Ullrich (born December 2, 1973 in Rostock, East Germany, now Germany) is a retired German professional road bicycle racer. ... The Vuelta a España bicycle race is one of the three Grand Tours of Europe and, after the Tour de France, is the second most important road cycling stage race in the world. ... Panache means style or flair. Panaché is the French name for Shandy. ... (Redirected from 2000 Olympic Games) Categories: 2000 Summer Olympics ... Jan Ullrich (born December 2, 1973 in Rostock, East Germany, now Germany) is a retired German professional road bicycle racer. ... Andreas Klöden, (born 22 June 1975 in Mittweida, Germany), is a professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour Team Astana. ...

In 2001 during the Deutschland Tour, Vinokourov time trialed himself to a stage win and took the yellow jersey from his Telekom teammate Erik Zabel. The dominance of the Telekom team at that race was evident on the following days Queen stage where Rolf Aldag won the stage and Vinokourov gained over a minute and a half over the rest of the peloton to ensure the stage race victory.^[9] He rode the Tour de France that year in support of Ullrich, where he finished 16th overall. The Tour of Germany (German: Deutschland Tour or sometimes Deutschland-Rundfahrt) is the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. ... Erik Zabel (born July 7, 1970 in Berlin) is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour Team Milram. ... Rolf Aldag (born 25 August 1968, Beckum, Germany) was a professional road bicycle racer for the UCI ProTour outfit T-Mobile Team since 1993 (then known as Team Telekom). ...

In 2002, Vinokourov won his first stage in Paris-Nice after he attacked Frenchman Laurent Jalabert and fellow Kazak and friend Andrei Kivilev on the Mont Faron ascent. This earned him the leaders jersey.^[10] On the penultimate stage to the Col d’Eze which ended in a mountaintop finish, Vinokourov kept his lead and won Paris-Nice the following day. Later in 2002, he won the first mountain stage in the Tour de Suisse ^[11] but several stages later he fell on a mountain descent and was taken to hospital after the stage.^[12] He chose not to continue in the race in order to prepare for the Tour but two weeks later, it was discovered he had obtained a hair line fracture of the coccyx, a bone at the end of the spine, and therefore could not take part in the 2002 Tour de France.^[13] Due to the absence of Ullrich for Team Telekom, Vinokourov was going to be the Team’s Tour leader that year. Paris-Nice, nicknamed the race to the sun, is an annual professional cycling stage race held annually each March. ... Photograph of Laurent Jalabert, present at the arrival of the Tour dAlsace at the Ballon dAlsace, France, 2005 // Biography Laurent Jalabert was born in France in 1968, a professional cyclist from 1989-2002. ... Andrei Kivilev (September 20, 1973_March 12, 2003) was a professional cyclist from Kazakhstan. ... The Tour de France of 2002 started in Luxembourg on July 6, 2002, and ended in Paris on July 28. ...

2003 - the breakthrough year

During the second stage of the 2003 edition of Paris-Nice (which was won by Italian Davide Rebellin ahead of Vinokourov and Italian Dario Frigo), a crash had occurred further back in the peloton in which Andrei Kivilev and two other riders were brought down. While the other two were able to get back on their bikes, Kivilev suffered serious head injuries and fell into a coma. He died from his injuries during the night.^[14] Vinokourov was deeply shocked over his friend’s death and speaking two days later, he said he was more motivated than ever to try to win Paris-Nice.^[15] The following day Vinokourov put in a solid attack on the Mont Faron ascent to win the stage and take the leader’s jersey. It was an emotional win in which he pointed to the sky. Two days later, Vinokourov had won Paris-Nice and held up a photograph of Kivilev on the final podium. Paris-Nice, nicknamed the race to the sun, is an annual professional cycling stage race held annually each March. ... Devide Rebellin is a cyclist, who was on the Gerolsteiner team in the Tour De France. ... Dario Frigo (born September 18, 1973 in Saronno, Italy) is a professional road bicycle racer, and is currently inactive. ... Andrei Kivilev (September 20, 1973_March 12, 2003) was a professional cyclist from Kazakhstan. ... Paris-Nice, nicknamed the race to the sun, is an annual professional cycling stage race held annually each March. ... Paris-Nice, nicknamed the race to the sun, is an annual professional cycling stage race held annually each March. ...

Exactly 40 days later, which is the traditional period for mourning in Kazakhstan, Vinokourov won the Amstel Gold Race. Vinokourov had bridged up to the leading group with around 10 kilometres left and at 5 kilometres to go, Vinokourov put in an attack and got away. He built up a lead of 15 seconds that he fought hard to maintain up the steep finish of the Cauberg hill, winning with just four seconds ahead of Michael Boogerd.^[16] The Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle racing race held (mostly) in the southern part of the province of Limburg, The Netherlands. ... The Cauberg is a hill in Valkenburg aan de Geul, a city in the Netherlands. ... Michael Boogerd (born May 28 1972, The Hague) is a professional Dutch bicyclist. ...

On the relatively flat first stage of the 2003 Tour de Suisse, Vinokourov put in a decisive attack that only Russian Serguei Ivanov could match and won the stage and took the lead.^[17] On the first mountain stage of the race, Italian Francesco Casagrande dropped Vinokourov and closed the gap to just six seconds on the yellow jersey. On the following mountain stage, Casagrande attacked again and took the yellow jersey. But several days later in an Individual time trial, Casagrande cracked as Vinokourov produced a solid performance for fifth to retake the yellow jersey and to win the race.^[18] The Tour de Suisse (English: Tour of Switzerland) is a UCI ProTour stage race held annually in June. ... Rund um den Henninger Turm (2006) Sergei Ivanov (born March 5, 1975 in Chelyabinsk, Russia) is a professional road bicycle racer since 1996. ... Francesco Casagrande is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. ... An Individual Time Trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: contre la montre - literally against the watch). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials (TTT). ...

Coming into the 2003 Tour de France, Vinokourov was for the first time riding the Tour with the aim of the General Classement. He was going to share this role with Columbian Santiago Botero. Vinokourov finished second on the stage to the l'Alpe d'Huez. On the following day, Vinokourov attacked on the final climb some 9km from the finish and won the stage. He moved into second overall some 21 seconds short of Armstrong. Several days later in the Individual time trial which was won by Ullrich, Vinokourov dropped into third position overall which he was able to keep to the end of the Tour. He was also voted the most combative rider of that year’s Tour.^[19] Long considered to not be a serious contender for the grand tours, his podium finish showed that he could be a real threat for the general classification. The Tour de France of 2003 started and ended in Paris. ... Santiago Botero Echeverry (born October 27, 1972 in Medellín, Colombia) is a Colombian professional road bicycle racer. ... Alpe dHuez is a mountain at 45°03′ N 6°02′ E in the Central French Alps, in the Isère département. ... An Individual Time Trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: contre la montre - literally against the watch). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials (TTT). ... In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour refers to one of the three major European professional cycling stage races: Tour de France - Tour of France Giro dItalia - Tour of Italy Vuelta a España - Tour of Spain Collectively they are termed the Grand Tours, and all three are similar...

2004 Season

In the 2004 edition of Paris-Nice, Vinokourov missed the decisive break that gained over five minutes over the rest of the peloton on the second stage ^[20] but he bounced back to win three stages of the race. On the fifth stage he attacked towards the end of a small climb with 8 km to go. He built up a lead of ten seconds which he maintained over the last kilometers and won the stage with only four seconds to spare. He dedicated the win to Kivilev.^[21] In the finale of stage 7, Vinokourov attacked the lead group on the flat windy coastal road with 5 km to go. He caught and passed Spaniard Samuel Sánchez with 2 km to go and then won the stage.^[22] On the final stage Vinokourov won against Russian Denis Menchov in a breakaway sprint.^[23] Paris-Nice, nicknamed the race to the sun, is an annual professional cycling stage race held annually each March. ... Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (born February 5, 1978 in Oviedo, Spain) is a professional road bicycle racer, he started his professional career in 2000 at the Basque team Euskaltel - Euskadi and still rides there today. ... Denis Nikolayevich Menchov (Russian: Денис Меньшов) (born 25 January 1978 in Orel, Russia, part of the Soviet Union at that time) is a professional Russian road bicycle racer. ...

In Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Vinokourov finished third behind Italian Davide Rebellin and Dutchman Michael Boogerd. Boogerd and Vinokourov had been matching each others’ attacks in the closing km while Rebellin waited for the sprint and won.^[24] Vinokourov crashed on the second stage of the Tour de Suisse^[25] which tore several ligaments in his shoulder which prevented him from contesting the 2004 Tour de France.^[26] Liège-Bastogne-Liège, often called La Doyenne (the oldest woman), is one of the five Monuments of the European professional road cycling calendar, and the oldest. ... Devide Rebellin is a cyclist, who was on the Gerolsteiner team in the Tour De France. ... Michael Boogerd (born May 28 1972, The Hague) is a professional Dutch bicyclist. ... The Tour de Suisse (English: Tour of Switzerland) is a UCI ProTour stage race held annually in June. ... The 91st Tour de France (July 3 - July 25, 2004). ...

He returned to competition for the German stage race the Regio Tour at the start of August. On the second stage, he won the Individual time trial. On the following stage, he won the bunch sprint and took the leader’s jersey which he kept to win the stage race.^[27] He then rode the Vuelta a España but due to food poisoning, many of the T-Mobile riders were sick and Vinokourov lost a lot of time during the first week.^[28] Coming toward the end of the race, Vinokourov was recovering and finished fourth in the Individual time trial.^[29] He rode the World Championships and took the bronze medal in the Individual time trial.^[30] An Individual Time Trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: contre la montre - literally against the watch). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials (TTT). ... The Vuelta a España bicycle race is one of the three Grand Tours of Europe and, after the Tour de France, is the second most important road cycling stage race in the world. ... An Individual Time Trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: contre la montre - literally against the watch). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials (TTT). ... A World Championship is any contest to determine the best in the world in a particular field. ... An Individual Time Trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: contre la montre - literally against the watch). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials (TTT). ...

2005 Season

Vinokourov’s first season win in 2005 and the first for the team that year was in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Vinokourov had broken away with German Jens Voigt with more than 50 kilometres to go. Vinokourov attacked several times on the final short climb around 6 km from the finish but could not get away from Voigt. Instead he waited and beat Voigt in the sprint.^[31] In the Dauphiné Libéré, Vinokourov won the stage that ended on the legendary Mont Ventoux ascent. He had attacked the group of all the favourites for the Tour de France which included the Americans Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and Floyd Landis, bridging up to the remnants of the days breakaway before attacking at several hundred metres on the uphill finish to win the stage.^[32] Vinokourov travelled back to Kazakhstan where he won the National Championships ahead of Andrey Mizourov and Andrey Kashechkin which allowed him to wear the colours of Kazakhstan as he challenged Armstrong in the 2005 Tour de France.^[33] Liège-Bastogne-Liège, often called La Doyenne (the oldest woman), is one of the five Monuments of the European professional road cycling calendar, and the oldest. ... Jens Voigt Jens Voigt (born September 17, 1971) is a German professional road bicycle racer. ... The Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré is an annual cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first half of June. ... Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km north-east of Carpentras, Vaucluse. ... The Tour de France is the worlds best-known cycling race, a three-week long road race that covers a circuit of most areas around France and, sometimes, neighbouring countries. ... Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. ... Levi Leipheimer (born October 24, 1973 in Butte, Montana) is an American professional cyclist who rides with the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. ... Floyd Landis (born October 14, 1975) is an American cyclist. ... Andrey Kashechkin (Kazakh: Андрей Кашечкин, born March 21, 1980) is a Kazakhstani road racing cyclist currently riding for the Team Astana UCI ProTour outfit. ... The 92nd Tour de France was held from July 2 to July 24, 2005. ...

2005 Tour de France

In July 2005, Vinokourov's fans anxiously awaited the start of the 2005 Tour de France, to see what role he would play, and how he would do. In an interview^[34], Vinokourov claimed that he was in as good condition as he was in 2003 when he achieved third place overall. While all of Lance Armstrong's teammates clearly stated that they were riding for Lance, it is interesting to note that Vinokourov said he was riding for the team. The implication was that if he or Andreas Klöden (who finished 2nd in 2004, while Ullrich was 4th) rode better than Ullrich, he would be the leader of the team. The 92nd Tour de France was held from July 2 to July 24, 2005. ... Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. ... Andreas Klöden, (born 22 June 1975 in Mittweida, Germany), is a professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour T-Mobile Team. ... The 91st Tour de France (July 3 - July 25, 2004). ...

Indeed, Vinokourov managed to achieve third place in the opening time trial, beating Ullrich and Klöden by margins of 15 seconds and 1:08 respectively. In Stage 8, Armstrong himself displayed recognition of Vinokourov's threat by following his attacks, but allowing Klöden to go. Many observed that Vinokourov tended to ride separated from his T-Mobile teammates. This fuelled speculation regarding Ullrich's dominant role in the team.

However, Vinokourov lost significant time in the mountain stages. Revenge came when he won Stage 11 of the Tour in a breakaway attack, outsprinting companion Santiago Botero at the finish.^[35] He topped the tour's literal high point, the Col du Galibier (2645m) and won the Henri Desgrange prize for the highest point in the Tour de France. Vinokourov is known for his aggressive nature, attacking style and flair. Santiago Botero Echeverry (born October 27, 1972 in Medellín, Colombia) is a Colombian professional road bicycle racer. ...

Alexander Vinokourov

Registration for stage 8 in Pforzheim

The tension between Vinokourov and his T-Mobile Team seemed to boil on stage 14 - a trek into the Pyrenees, where Vinokourov was dropped, chased for 20kms to rejoin and then after launching an attack from the Armstrong group, but his team-mates, Kloden and Ullrich reeled him in, causing many commentators and observers to criticise T-Mobile's tactics which were apparently just to support Ullrich. However 2 days later on the road to Pau, Vinokourov apparently settled his differences with Ullrich and his then T-Mobile Team but all was forgotten when Vinokourov won stage 21 to Paris - beating the sprinters at their own game. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (993x660, 108 KB) nl: Alexander Vinokoerov tijdens het WK tijdrijden 2004 in de buurt van Verona en: Alexander Vinokoerov during the world championships time trial 2004 near Verona, Italy de:Alexander Winokurow während des WM-Zeitfahrens 2004 in der N... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (993x660, 108 KB) nl: Alexander Vinokoerov tijdens het WK tijdrijden 2004 in de buurt van Verona en: Alexander Vinokoerov during the world championships time trial 2004 near Verona, Italy de:Alexander Winokurow während des WM-Zeitfahrens 2004 in der N... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2816x2112, 832 KB) Description: Germany Pforzheim Tour de France Alexandre Vinokourov Date: 2005-07-09 photographer: Heidas Wikipedia account All pictures please use this discussion page File links The following pages link to this file: Alexander Vinokourov Metadata This file contains... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2816x2112, 832 KB) Description: Germany Pforzheim Tour de France Alexandre Vinokourov Date: 2005-07-09 photographer: Heidas Wikipedia account All pictures please use this discussion page File links The following pages link to this file: Alexander Vinokourov Metadata This file contains...

After a spectacular 3rd place performance in the final time trial in the penultimate stage, losing time to only Armstrong and Ullrich, Vinokourov moved up to 6th place overall, trailing Levi Leipheimer in 5th place by only two seconds. The final stage, usually a formality and not a real race for GC contenders, thus became a showdown for 5th place between Vinokourov and Leipheimer. A sprint prime, which awards bonus time of 6, 4 and 2 seconds to first, second and third place respectively, was at km 75, in Châteny-Malabry. To protect his position, Leipheimer and his Gerolsteiner teammates came to the front. Leipheimer did not need the bonus time as much as needed to prevent Vinokourov from getting it. As long as Gerolsteiner riders "stole" the points, Leipheimer would be okay. As they approached the sprint, Gerolsteiner set a fast tempo at the front to discourage Vinokourov from attacking. But at 1.5 km from the sprint, Vinokourov attacked despite all their efforts. Soon only Leipheimer could hold Vinokourov's wheel, but he was not able to pass him, and so Vinokourov gained six seconds, but Leipheimer got four. Taking into account their exact times at the time trials to the nearest thousandth of a second, Leipheimer was still ahead of Vinokourov, but now only by a fraction of a second. When they reached Paris officials announced that the clock was stopped due to dangerous conditions (the cobblestone road was wet and slippery from rain), and that the final sprint prime was cancelled. Leipheimer said later that he was informed by his team that normal bonus time for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place on the stage would also not be awarded. He, and many others, including the OLN race announcers, thought Leipheimer had a lock on 5th place. In any case, the final sprint is normally contested by the sprint specialists, and GC contenders usually cannot compete. In the final kilometers, several riders attacked and were in a breakaway for a while, but they were eventually caught. Then, as the pacelines for the sprinters were forming and the pace was increasing, Vinokourov could be seen also moving to the front of the peloton. With 2 km remaining, Frenchman Laurent Brochard attacked and Vinokourov jumped on his wheel. A few seconds later Brad McGee closed the gap and got on Vinokourov's wheel. When Brochard cracked, McGee moved to the front, but Vinokourov was able to follow him. They achieved a gap on the peloton that could not be closed. McGee zigged and zagged, making Vinokourov work as much as he could, but in the end Vinokourov found enough power to pull around McGee and win the stage. In Vinokourov's own words: Levi Leipheimer (born October 24, 1973 in Butte, Montana) is an American professional cyclist who rides with the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. ... The General Classification (or GC) in bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi-stage bicycle races. ... The peloton (from French, literally meaning ball and related to the English word platoon), bunch or pack is the large main group in a road bicycle race. ... Laurent Brochard (born on March 26, 1968 in Le Mans, France) is a professional male cyclist from France. ... Bradley McGee, born on the 24 February 1976 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is a professional cyclist, who started cycling in 1986 at ten years of age. ...

That was victory made of courage and guts - I really gave it all in the last kilometres, although I didn't think it was possible until I crossed the line. I just went 'à bloc' - it's unbelievable, magnificent! I have no words for it... I did think a lot about Kivilev yesterday in St. Etienne, and I think that motivated me even more. I'm very happy to win. Andrei Kivilev (September 20, 1973_March 12, 2003) was a professional cyclist from Kazakhstan. ...

Vinokourov's surge in the final meters earned him much admiration, and even the press room reportedly erupted in a rare round of applause as he robbed the sprinters of a stage win that is usually theirs.^[36]

Much to the surprise of many, Tour officials awarded the final time bonuses after all, so Vinokourov gained the 20 seconds which put him into 5th place overall.^[37] Not bad, considering how little support he got from his team. As his contract with T-Mobile was up in 2005, during the Tour many speculated about which team he would join next, and whether it would be a team to give him full leadership support in the 2006 Tour. The team eventually turned out to be Manolo Saiz's Liberty Seguros-Würth. Manolo Saiz is the manager of the Spanish professional road bicycle racing team Liberty Seguros-Würth team, formerly known as team ONCE. Manolo Saiz (on the far side) of the Liberty Seguros-Würth team riding in the team car. ... The Liberty Seguros-Würth cycling team is sponsored by Liberty Seguros, an insurance company under the wing of Liberty Mutual insurance. ...

Astana-Würth Team

Liberty Seguros withdrew sponsorship on 25 May 2006 after the arrest of Manolo Saiz relating to blood doping a day earlier. A coalition of companies from Kazakhstan took over the sponsorship of the team, now called Team Astana. On June 30, 2006, Astana-Würth withdrew from the 2006 Tour de France after five of its riders were implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case, leaving Vinokourov, one of the Tour favorites, with three remaining teammates, which fell below the required minimum six riders for a team to start the Tour. (It should be noted that despite continued inaccuracies in the press in describing the drug scandal of the 2006 Tour de France, Vinokourov was never accused or implicated in regard to this problem. He has been repeatedly grouped with the disqualified riders solely on his high finish in 2005, his team's inability to meet starting requirements due to disqualification of other team members and the media's failure to clarify his distinction.) is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Astana-Würth Team logo The Team Astana (UCI Team Code: AWT), formerly named Liberty Seguros-Würth Team, Würth Team and Astana-Würth Team, is a professional cycling team sponsored by the Astana group, a coalition of companies from Kazakhstan, named after its capital. ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. ... The Operación Puerto doping case (derived from Operación Puerto meaning Operation Mountain Pass[1]) was a scandal in which 200 athletes including a number of cyclists were accused of using prohibited doping practices to enhance their performance. ...

In the final Grand Tour of the season, the Vuelta a España, after losing time in the first mountain stage, Vinokourov regained his strength and went into full attack. He lost the 7th stage closely to Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde, Vinokourov took revenge by winning both the 8th and the 9th stage and climbing to the 5th place in the overall classification at the end of the first week. After a good time trial, and some aggressive climbing, on stages 17 & 18 (Stage 18 was won by compatriot and teammate Andrey Kashechkin), Vinokourov took the first place in the overall standings and claimed the Gold jersey from Valverde. After a strong time trial, which would give him his 3rd stage victory of the 2006 Vuelta, Vinokourov secured his leading position and won the Vuelta. The 61st Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain), a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from August 26 to September 17, 2006. ... Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (born April 25, 1980 in Las Lumbreras, Murcia) is a Spanish cyclist. ... Andrey Kashechkin (Kazakh: Андрей Кашечкин, born March 21, 1980) is a Kazakhstani road racing cyclist currently riding for the Team Astana UCI ProTour outfit. ...

2007 Tour de France

In the 2007 season, Vinokourov was aiming for the overall victory in the Tour de France. After riding in the traditional "warm-up" races, like the Dauphine Libere, the 2007 Tour de France started on July 7th in London. Vinokourov fell in the first week, severely injuring both of his knees. Due to his injuries, Vinokourov lost time in the Alps, and fell from the list of riders still considered as top contenders for the Maillot-Jaune.

After being written off as a contender, Vinokourov put in an outstanding performance in the first individual time trial to win the stage by 1:14 from second place Cadel Evans of Australia. Vinkourov said of his win: "I am happy with my performance, I am finding my legs again. Now I want to attack in the Pyrénées. I want to thank everyone in and around the team that encouraged me to get through the Alps." ^[38] He also secured a win in stage 15, a mountain stage finishing in Loudenvielle. Cadel Evans (born 14 February 1977 in Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia) is a professional cyclist. ...

The following day, on July 24, it was announced that Vinokourov failed the doping control following his individual time trial victory. His blood had a double population of erythrocytes, which implies that he received a homologous transfusion.^{[39] [1]} Human red blood cells Red blood cells are the most common type of blood cell and are the vertebrate bodys principal means of delivering oxygen to body tissues via the blood. ... Donating blood Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood or blood-based products from one person into the circulatory system of another. ...

Following the announcement of the positive test, the whole Astana team withdrew from the race at the request of ASO president Patrice Clerc. Vinokourov left the Tour disgraced.

If Vinokourov's B sample comes back positive, Australian Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) will be declared the winner of stage 13. Vinokourov could also be stripped of his stage 15 victory. According to Phil Liggett, long-time commentator for the Tour, "It is incomprehensible that Vinokourov could do such a thing when he must have known he was under suspicion because of his dealing with disgraced doctor Michele Ferrari in Italy. He must have known he would be tested at every opportunity and the time trial was the perfect occasion."^[40] Cadel Evans (born 14 February 1977 in Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia) is a professional cyclist. ... Predictor-Lotto (formerly Davitamon-Lotto for 2005-2006) (UCI Team Code: DVL) is a Belgian professional cycling team sponsored by the Belgian lottery and Predictor, previously Davitamon (both products of pharmaceutical company Omega Pharma). ... Phil Liggett MBE (born 1943) is a sports journalist and commentator on the Outdoor Life Network for the Tour de France and other bike races. ... Michele Ferrari. ...

Due to his doping violation, it is also likely that Vinokourov will face at least a two-year ban from the sport, as has recently occurred with other cyclists found guilty of doping such as Tyler Hamilton and Ivan Basso. Team Astana has threatened to sue Vinokourov for damages incurring to it from his violations.^[41] Tyler Hamilton Tyler Hamilton (born March 1, 1971 in Marblehead, Massachusetts) is an American professional road bicycle racer. ... Ivan Basso (born November 26, 1977) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, most recently with Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. ...

Major Achievements

Police officer on a bicycle Cycling is a recreation, a sport and a means of transport across land. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... At the 2000 Summer Olympics, 3 different Bicycle racing disciplines were contested: Road cycling, Track cycling, and Mountain biking. ... The 2006 edition of the UCI Road World Championships Time Trial took place on September 21, 2006, in the Austrian city of Salzburg. ... The professional World Cycling Championship is a one-day cycling event organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), and is a single massed start road race, the winner being the first across the line at the completion of the full race distance. ... Les Quatre Jours de Dunkerque (English: the Four Days of Dunkirk) is an elite cycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. ... The peloton in the 2004 Tour of Poland. ... The Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré is an annual cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first half of June. ... The Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana is a road cycling stage race held in the Comunitat Valenciana region of Spain. ... The Grand Prix du Midi Libre (nicknamed Midi Libre) was a multiple-stage cycling course in the south of France. ... Jan Ullrich leading the T-Mobile team in the team time trial stage of the 2004 Tour de France T-Mobile Team is an international professional road bicycle racing team. ... The Vuelta a España bicycle race is one of the three Grand Tours of Europe and, after the Tour de France, is the second most important road cycling stage race in the world. ... At the 2000 Summer Olympics, 3 different Bicycle racing disciplines were contested: Road cycling, Track cycling, and Mountain biking. ... The 2000 Tour de France was won by Lance Armstrong. ... The Tour of Germany (German: Deutschland Tour or sometimes Deutschland-Rundfahrt) is the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. ... The Amstel Gold Race 2003 was the 38th edition of the road bicycle race Amstel Gold Race, held on Sunday April 20, 2003 in the Limburg province, The Netherlands. ... Paris-Nice, nicknamed the race to the sun, is an annual professional cycling stage race held annually each March. ... The Tour de Suisse (English: Tour of Switzerland) is a UCI ProTour stage race held annually in June. ... The Tour de France of 2003 started and ended in Paris. ... Presentation of the 2006 team in Mallorca. ... Paris-Nice, nicknamed the race to the sun, is an annual professional cycling stage race held annually each March. ... The professional World Cycling Championship is a one-day cycling event organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), and is a single massed start road race, the winner being the first across the line at the completion of the full race distance. ... Liège-Bastogne-Liège, often called La Doyenne (the oldest woman), is one of the five Monuments of the European professional road cycling calendar, and the oldest. ... Presentation of the 2006 team in Mallorca. ... Liège-Bastogne-Liège, often called La Doyenne (the oldest woman), is one of the five Monuments of the European professional road cycling calendar, and the oldest. ... The Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré is an annual cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first half of June. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Kazakhstan. ... The 92nd Tour de France was held from July 2 to July 24, 2005. ... The Astana-Würth Team logo The Team Astana (UCI Team Code: AWT), formerly named Liberty Seguros-Würth Team, Würth Team and Astana-Würth Team, is a professional cycling team sponsored by the Astana group, a coalition of companies from Kazakhstan, named after its capital. ... Image File history File links Jersey_gold. ... The General Classification (or GC) in bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi-stage bicycle races. ... The 61st Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain), a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from August 26 to September 17, 2006. ... The Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León is a regional Spanish road bicycle stage race. ... The 2006 edition of the Time Trial World Cycling Championships will take place on September 21, 2006, in the Austrian city of Salzburg. ... The Astana-Würth Team logo The Team Astana (UCI Team Code: AWT), formerly named Liberty Seguros-Würth Team, Würth Team and Astana-Würth Team, is a professional cycling team sponsored by the Astana group, a coalition of companies from Kazakhstan, named after its capital. ... The Points Classification is an award category in road bicycle racing that recognizes the most consistent finisher in a stage race. ... The 59th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré will take place from June 10 to June 17, 2007. ... The 59th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré will take place from June 10 to June 17, 2007. ... The 59th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré will take place from June 10 to June 17, 2007. ... Stages in 2007 The 2007 Tour de France is the 94th Tour de France, taking place from July 7 to July 29, 2007. ... Stages in 2007 The 2007 Tour de France is the 94th Tour de France, taking place from July 7 to July 29, 2007. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official Site
• Alexander Vinokourov profile

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Alexander Vinokourov