http://www.lequipe.fr/Cyclisme/breves2011/20110922_123331_vinokourov-coureur-en-2012.html
Still racing for Astana in 2012.
Im not surprised, I figured he would be back when he announced his retirement. Who wants to go out with a crash?
«Si je souhaite continuer, c’est aussi pour le Team Astana, a-t-il confié. Ces deux dernières années, j’ai accompli de beaux résultats et je veux en faire profiter mon équipe. Je ne peux pas quitter l’équipe comme ça et je me dois de rester pour mon pays. J’ai repris l’entrainement et, comme annoncé, je serai au départ du prochain Tour de Lombardie», le 15 octobre.
I don’t really see anything wrong with this. If he is strong enough to help his team keep world tour points then it make sense. My guess is that he wants to do this so that when he is done racing, he has a management job with the same Protour team and he figures that the easiest way for the team to stay on the Protour is having his own horsepower to get points. Let’s keep in mind that the mindset for taking back those who tested positive is still quite a bit different in the eastern block then here in North America. They probably view doping to succeed in cycling in the same way that Americans view taking steroid and HGH to break out of poverty, get a college football scholarship and get into the NFL…viewed with that lens, Vino is probably still a hero in his part of the world.
Vino is probably still a hero in his part of the world.
Probably? Didn’t his country’s government essentially build the Astana team for him. Isn’t the title sponsor a state railway?
He can ride forever if he wants, manage the team, run for office…you name it.
The guy wore a jersey with his own picture on it!
I should have removed the "probably". You’re right. So it just reinforces my point that the best way for him to be running a Protour team when he retires is to give his current Protour team enough points so it stays Protour.
And here I thought you were talking about your wine problem…
They probably view doping to succeed in cycling in the same way that Americans view taking steroid and HGH to break out of poverty,
Sadly, I totally agree with you. At a race this spring a teammate and I had a long talk with a former Pro Tour rider who had a very successful career (won/podiumed at classics, monuments/ GT stages) and came up through the “eastern block” training regiment that the US national team replicated in the 80s/90s. He made the exact same point: if a rider is given the choice between a lifetime of poverty in the same town they grew up in or taking PEDs to make 60k /year as a pro, it’s a pretty easy decision. He didn’t condone it but when you think of it in those terms, and the fact that it’s pretty much the same for potential NFL/NBA/MLB players, then it’s easier to understand why it happens.
Look how much worship NFL players get, and the union won’t even agree to HGH testing because they’re not convinced the WADA test is accurate! If that’s not a smokescreen…
I like Vino racing…ok, I love Vino racing. If you take the protour level for what it is, then you’ve gotta like Vino.
Otherwise, stick to watching races like TOC and Tour of Utah where only the clean guys win.
-Physiojoe
What we forget is that here in North America, niche sport for rich white guys.
In a lot of Europe, cycliing is a blue collar sport with mainstream TV coverage and ranks only behind football (as in soccer) for media attention. Your choices are being a brick layer in belgium, working a railway yard in the Ukraine, or the shot at hitting the big time as a Protour cyclists. Guess what people pick.
I believe in his retirement article by Tim Carlson right here on ST, Dmitri Gaag of Khazakstan who was 1999 ITU World champ, beating Simon Lessing in a sprint finish, alluded to this dynamic from where he grew up (this was after his positive test).
What we forget is that here in North America, niche sport for rich white guys.
In a lot of Europe, cycliing is a blue collar sport with mainstream TV coverage and ranks only behind football (as in soccer) for media attention. Your choices are being a brick layer in belgium, working a railway yard in the Ukraine, or the shot at hitting the big time as a Protour cyclists. Guess what people pick.
I believe in his retirement article by Tim Carlson right here on ST, Dmitri Gaag of Khazakstan who was 1999 ITU World champ, beating Simon Lessing in a sprint finish, alluded to this dynamic from where he grew up (this was after his positive test).
Actually a bit harsher than that: try working in the coal mines in Lille and Flanders. In many ways, cycling in very much like Nascar
Vino is probably still a hero in his part of the world.
Probably? Didn’t his country’s government essentially build the Astana team for him. Isn’t the title sponsor a state railway?
He can ride forever if he wants, manage the team, run for office…you name it.
The guy wore a jersey with his own picture on it!
That picture still makes me laugh every time I see it.
Me too. The question is, would you wear that jersey?
99% of my cycling gear is black/white/red/grey, but I would wear that jersey…often.
Without his points it is almost certain that the Astana team will fold as it will be unable to make the top tour and be relegated to the continental tour. The question is concerned with is it a good thing to have sponsors and teams which reflect the profile of riders in the professional ranks. In the long run it has to be good for the sport in just the same way as American teams broke into the ranks over the past twenty years. No matter what you think about Vino he has served his ban and as such is again a legitimate rider, the same could be said of David Millar though I realsie how they responded to being caught is totally different hence I am a fan of Millar as a person but not of Vino, but if he is now clean you have to respect his agresive approach to racing.
I agree that there is a different culture to racing in europe which is a blue collar sport, and that cheats will often be seen as heroes in their own communities even when the evidence against them is substantial think Pantanni.
Professional cycling is facing a big problem at the moment with the creation of super teams, which in effect pool the vast majority of the points from a season into three or four outfits. What I feel this is meaning is that one or two riders will be game breakers for teams who wish to stay at the top level. There are exceptions as I was surprised for example that the combination of Sastre and Menchov were not enough for Geox to make the top division last year, past grand tour winners. As such it is not definate that Astana would get the licence with Vino but it greatly imporves their chances. As we get riders coming back from suspensions and the general merry go round of transfares is near the end if Vino is not at Astana somebody else will want his points in just the same way as De Lucca and others were sought last year.