KZBlog

Without international stars Alberto Contador or Lance Armstrong among their ranks, Team Astana hasn’t been getting as much world press for their wins. But Kazakhstan-born star Alexandre Vinokurov has actually been doing his team proud. Maybe because he announced that this will be his last season or maybe because he no longer plays support to bigger names, Vino has been quietly winning.

He just won the third stage of the Tour de Romadie, putting him in second place overall. He already tok second in the Clasica de San Sebastian and first in the Liège–Bastogne–Liège. And while Roman Kreuziger, from the Czech Republic, will probably be the team’s lead rider in the Tour d’Italia, rumour has it the Tour de France will be given to Vino.

It’s too bad that Team Astana has been hit by so many doping scandals, starting in April of 2007 when Matthias Kessler tested positive for testosterone in Charleroi (Probably didn’t use the best testosterone cream, if he was trying to impress his wife). And that same year Vinokurov tested positive for doping, leading to his being fired from the team and Astana missing the Tour de France. I think Vino still denies the charge, but in any case one hopes that he is being extra-careful in his last year as a cyclist so his 2011 victories will never be challenged. And hopefully his triumphs will encourage more Kazakhstani cyclists so that Team Astana, as the only national team in professional cycling, will be a truly national team.