It looks like cyclist Alexandre Vinokourov's long career may have come to an abrupt end. Kazakhstan’s star 37-year-old Tour de France competitor crashed out of the race on July 10 in spectacular fashion, while having one last try at cycling's most coveted prize. With him, Kazakhstan’s dreams of a win were firmly dashed, for this year.
Vinokourov spoke of his disappointment in a statement on the Team Astana's website: "I never expected such a dramatic end on the Tour de France. This is a terrible disappointment to me, I am so sad tonight. But I want to reassure me by telling me that it could have been much worse. The injury will stop me for quite a long time, and I will follow the Tour on television to support the entire Astana team. I know my friends of the team won’t forget me and they will do everything to win at least one stage."
The Team Astana leader was at the head of the pack when he was driven into a ravine during a steep mountain descent. He ended up with a fractured right thighbone after he was forced off course by another rider's crash as they were rounding a slippery corner.
The injury will keep Vinokourov sidelined for the rest of the season and could well spell the end of his checkered career at the top of pro-cycling. He finished third in the 2003 Tour de France and was leading the race in 2007 when he tested positive for blood doping and given a two-year ban. In this year's race he had a respectable third-place finish in Stage 4, crossing a hair behind the stage winner.
Team Astana, which is supported by Kazakhstan’s state asset holding company Samruk-Kazyna and won the tour as a team in 2009, recently announced the creation of Astana-2, which will serve as the development squad for the main team. It will focus on nurturing young Kazakh cycling talent. Who knows: It might just unearth the next Vinokourov.
Paul Bartlett is a journalist based in Almaty.
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