Alexander Vinokourov
Encyclopedia
Alexander Nikolaevich Vinokourov, also written Alexandre Vinokourov, (born September 16, 1973 in Bishkul near Petropavl
Petropavl
Petropavl is a city on the Ishim River in North Kazakhstan Province of Kazakhstan close to the border with Russia, about 261 km west of Omsk along the Trans-Siberian Railway. It is capital of the North Kazakhstan Province...

) is an ethnically Russian
Russians in Kazakhstan
There has been a substantial population of Russians in Kazakhstan since the 19th century. Although their numbers have been reduced since the breakup of the Soviet Union, they remain prominent in Kazakh society today.-Early colonization:...

 Kazakhstani professional road bicycle racer who currently competes with the UCI ProTeam Astana. Known simply as "Vino" to many of his fans, he is both calculating and impulsive on the bike, an all-around rider with an aggressive, attacking style. His palmarès includes four stage wins at the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

, four at the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...

 (plus the overall title in 2006), two Liège–Bastogne–Liège monuments, and one Amstel Gold Race - plus numerous smaller stage and one-day races. Vino is a past national champion of Kazakhstan, and a silver medalist at the Summer Olympics.

Vinokourov began cycling in 1984 as an 11 year-old, competing within the former Soviet Union. He moved to France in 1997 to finish his amateur career, and then turned professional there in 1998. Vinokourov has enjoyed tremendous, consistent success in Europe, but his career was rudely interrupted during the 2007 Tour de France
2007 Tour de France
The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...

, when he was alleged to have been blood doping
Blood doping
Blood doping is the practice of boosting the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream in order to enhance athletic performance. Because such blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, a higher concentration in the blood can improve an athlete’s aerobic capacity and...

 - a charge that was later confirmed. Vino begrudgingly served a 2-year ban before returning to cycling in August 2009, riding first for the national team of Kazakhstan and then for his beloved Astana. A serious crash during the 2011 Tour de France threatened to prematurely end Vino's career for a second time, but he fought back and announced he would continue for one more season in 2012 - with an eye towards competing in the Olympic Games in London.

Early amateur career

According to his father Nikolay, Vino began cycling at age 11 when he joined a branch of the Petropavl’s Children and Youth Sports School. Vincent Lavenu
Vincent Lavenu
Vincent Lavenu is a French former professional road bicycle racer and is currently the team manager of the UCI ProTour cycling team.-Professional career:...

, who would later offer Vinokourov his first professional contract, reported that Vinokourov was training on the road every day at age 11, and also competing in cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter , and consists of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and...

. In 1986 at age 13, Vinokourov became an athlete at a sports school in the Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...

, then capital of Kazakhstan, where he would train for the next five years. While fulfilling his compulsory two-year military service requirement, Vino also trained as part of the Soviet national team.

After Kazakhstan declared independence from the Soviet Union on 16 December 1991, Vinokourov continued to train and race, though for the Kazakhstani national team. He placed third behind Pascal Hervé
Pascal Hervé
Pascal Hervé is a former French road racing cyclist. He was tested positive for EPO after the prologue in 2001 Giro d'Italia.- Major achievements :1994Pascal Hervé is a former French road racing cyclist...

 of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 in the Regio Tour amateur stage race in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 in 1993. Vinokourov later would win this race as a professional in 2004. Other notable performances included winning two stages at the 1995 Tour of Ecuador and the 1996 Tour of Slovenia. He competed in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and finished 53rd.

Amateur career at Espoir cycliste St-Etienne Loire

Gilles Mas, directeur sportif
Directeur sportif
A directeur sportif is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event...

 of the Agrigel-La Creuse team, received a letter in winter 1996 from the trainer of the Kazakh team, who wanted to place six riders in professional teams. Mas tried two on condition they rode for the amateur Espoir Cycliste Saint-Etienne Loire (ECSEL) for a year. Mas and Pierre Rivory, of ECSEL, choose Andrey Mizurov
Andrey Mizurov
- Palmares :* Asian Games - Time Trial * Tour de la Guadeloupe - 3 stages * Tour de Bretagne - 1 stage * UCI Asia Tour * GP Jamp * Tour of China - 1 stage & GC * Vuelta a la Independencia Nacional - 1 stage & GC...

 and Vinokourov. Mizurov did not want to leave Kazakhstan. Vinokourov arrived on 22 March 1997 after completing the Tour of Malaysia. Lavenu said Vinokourov won this race.

Andrei Kivilev
Andrei Kivilev
Andrei Kivilev was a professional road bicycle racer from Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan. In March 2003, he fell heavily during the Paris–Nice race and subsequently died of his injuries...

 was with an amateur team in Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...

 in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. He and Vinokourov were friends from the same sports school and kept phone contact. Vinokourov spoke to his club about a place for Kivilev. Kivilev had come 29th in the Olympic road race the previous year and the club gave him the place originally reserved for Mizourov. Kivilev arrived in St Etienne in May 1997.

Vinokourov came second in a stage of the Tour of Auvergne two weeks after arriving and was best climber in a Coupe de France race a week later. Then, during a trial for the Casino professional team, the Tour of Saône et Loire, he won three of the four stages. the Essor Breton. Vinokourov won ten races for his club. Vincent Lavenu
Vincent Lavenu
Vincent Lavenu is a French former professional road bicycle racer and is currently the team manager of the UCI ProTour cycling team.-Professional career:...

 offered him a two-year professional contract during the summer of 1997 to ride for the Casino for the 1998 and 1999.

Early professional career

Vinokourov won six races in his first year, including the Four Days of Dunkirk
Four Days of Dunkirk
The Four Days of Dunkirk is road bicycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. Confusingly, since the addition of an individual time trial in 1963, the race has usually been held over a 5 or 6 day period. Since 2005, the race is organised as a 2.HC event on the UCI Europe...

, Tour de l'Oise, and stages in the Tour of Poland and Circuit des Mines. He won the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
The Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana is a road cycling stage race held in the Valencian Community , Spain. Its position in the cycling calendar means it is often used as preparation for the spring classics or the grand tours which take place later in the season.No editions of the race have been...

 stage race at the start of 1999 and three months later two stages of the Midi Libre
Midi Libre
Midi Libre is a French daily newspaper in Montpellier that covers general news. It began publication in 1944.In 1949 the newspaper organised a multiple-stage cycling course Grand Prix du Midi Libre.-External links:* * , Mondo Times* , 1 December 2006...

. He won the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, beating the American, Jonathan Vaughters
Jonathan Vaughters
Jonathan Vaughters is an American former professional racing cyclist and current manager of the professional cycling team.- Racing career :...

. Vinokourov lost the yellow jersey to Vaughters after the Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the Drôme département. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald...

 time trial
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial  can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...

 but regained it on the following mountain stage. After this display, he was seen as a potential future tour contender.

In 2000 he joined . He won the combination competition in Paris–Nice and finished third in the Critérium International
Critérium International
The Critérium International is a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932....

. He came 15th in the Tour de France after working for captain Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich is a German former professional road bicycle racer. In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. He went on to take five second places and a fourth in 2004 and third in 2005. He is considered one of the best time-trialists in the history of the sport...

. His first win for the German team was stage 18 in the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...

, in which he caught the two riders in the breakaway and sprinted past Roberto Laiseka
Roberto Laiseka
Roberto Laiseka Jaio is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He retired on 2006 after he couldn't recover from a knee injury in 2006 Giro d'Italia. He spent his whole professional career in Euskaltel-Euskadi cycling team.- Major results :1999 - Euskaltel-Euskadi...

 and Vicente Garcia Acosta in the last 300 metres. He came second several weeks later in the Olympic Games behind Ullrich and in front of another Telekom teammate, Andreas Kloden
Andreas Klöden
Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...

.

Vinokourov time-trialed to a stage win in the 2001 Deutschland Tour
Deutschland Tour
The Deutschland Tour was the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI ProTour and has been moved to August...

 and took the yellow jersey from his Telekom teammate Erik Zabel
Erik Zabel
Erik Zabel is a former German professional road bicycle racer who last raced with Milram. With over 200 professional wins he is considered by some one of the greatest German cyclists and best cycling sprinters of history...

. The dominance of the Telekom team was evident the following day when Rolf Aldag
Rolf Aldag
Rolf Aldag is a former professional road bicycle racer who rode for Team Telekom from 1993 to 2005. He has raced in 10 Tour de France, 1 Giro d'Italia and 5 Vuelta a España...

 won and Vinokourov gained a minute and a half over the peloton to ensure victory. He rode the Tour de France that year in support of Ullrich, where he finished 16th overall.

Vinokourov won Paris–Nice in 2002, taking the leader's jersey after attacking Laurent Jalabert
Laurent Jalabert
Laurent Jalabert is a French former professional road racing cyclist, from 1989 to 2002. Affectionately known as "Jaja" , he won many one-day and stage races and was ranked number 1 in the 1990s...

 and Andrei Kivilev
Andrei Kivilev
Andrei Kivilev was a professional road bicycle racer from Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan. In March 2003, he fell heavily during the Paris–Nice race and subsequently died of his injuries...

 on Mont Faron. The penultimate stage to the Col d’Eze, 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 but several stages later he fell on a mountain descent and was taken to hospital after the stage. He abandoned the race to prepare for the Tour but it was discovered two weeks later that he had a broken coccyx
Coccyx
The coccyx , commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the vertebral column. Comprising three to five separate or fused vertebrae below the sacrum, it is attached to the sacrum by a fibrocartilaginous joint, the sacrococcygeal symphysis, which permits limited movement between...

 and could not ride the 2002 Tour de France
2002 Tour de France
The 2002 Tour de France started in Luxembourg on July 6, 2002, and ended in Paris on July 28. France was visited counter-clockwise, so the Pyrenees were there before the Alps...

. Due to the absence of Ullrich for Team Telekom, Vinokourov was to be the leader that year.

2003 – the breakthrough year

2003 would be a breakthrough year for Vinokourov, but one marred by an early-season personal tragedy that nevertheless drove him to perform inspirationally. His close friend, Andrei Kivilev, fell heavily during the second stage of Paris–Nice, slipped into a coma, and died during the night. The loss of his compatriot weighed heavily on Vinokourov, but he rallied and declared that he was more motivated than ever to win. Stage three had been neutralized and stage four was a time trial, but on stage five, which featured the race's only mountaintop finish, Vinokourov honored his late-friend with a spectacular attack on Mont Faron that won him the stage and the leader’s jersey. Crackling with emotion as he crossed the line, Vino pointed skyward, and later explained to the press:

"Most of all, [it's a victory for] for Andrei Kivilev. He wanted to win on Mont Faron and also Paris-Nice. I really gave everything for this victory, and today was a coup double, for him and for his family. I found the strength to continue the race, only for him, for his family, for his little boy. I'm satisfied today for myself and for them. I'm going to do everything to keep the jersey, and for that I found a double strength, myself and his strength as well. It's fantastic, and I'm very happy. For sure it's a victory for him, and I hope to keep the jersey until Nice."

Two days later, Vinokourov won Paris–Nice and in a final gesture to his friend, he displayed a photograph of Kivilev on the podium.

Forty days later, after the traditional period for mourning in Kazakhstan, Vinokourov won the Amstel Gold Race
Amstel Gold Race
The Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle race held in the southern part of the province of Limburg, Netherlands. Since 1989 it has been among the races included in season long rankings tables, as part of the UCI Road World Cup , the UCI ProTour , UCI World Ranking and from 2011 the UCI World Tour...

. He reached the leaders group with 10 kilometres left and got away at five kilometres He built 15 seconds that he fought to maintain up the steep Cauberg
Cauberg
The Cauberg is a hill in Valkenburg aan de Geul, a city in the Netherlands. The length of the climb is around 1200 m, with a maximum grade of 12%.- Road Cycling :...

 hill, winning four seconds ahead of Michael Boogerd
Michael Boogerd
Michael Boogerd is a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the leaders of a generation of Dutch cyclists in the late 1990s and early 2000s, together with teammate Erik Dekker, even inspiring Dutch authors to write a book called "Michael & Erik" about this generation, and the...

.

Vinokourov attacked on the flat first stage of the 2003 Tour de Suisse and only the Russian, Serguei Ivanov, could match him. Vinokourov won the stage and took the lead. Francesco Casagrande
Francesco Casagrande
Francesco Casagrande is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist. Casagrande was a professional cyclist between 1992 and 2005.-Biography:He is a proven performer in the Grand Tours and the major one-day races...

 dropped Vinokourov on the first mountain stage and closed the gap to six seconds. Casagrande attacked again on the following mountain stage and took the jersey. But Casagrande cracked several days later in an individual time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...

 as Vinokourov finished fifth to retake the jersey and win the race.

Vinokourov was for the first time riding to win in the 2003 Tour de France
2003 Tour de France
The 2003 Tour de France started and ended in Paris. Lasting from July 5 to July 27 the race covered 3,427.5 km , proceeding clockwise in twenty stages around France, including six major mountain stages...

. He was to share this role in his team with the Columbian, Santiago Botero
Santiago Botero
Santiago Botero Echeverry is a Colombian former professional road bicycle racer. He was a pro from 1996 to 2010, during which time he raced in three editions of the Tour de France and four editions of the Vuelta a España...

. Vinokourov finished second on the stage to the l'Alpe d'Huez. He attacked the following day on the final climb 9 km from the finish and won the stage. He moved into second overall 21 seconds short of Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...

. Several days later in the individual time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...

, won by Ullrich, Vinokourov took third position and kept it to the end. He was voted the most combative rider
Combativity award
The combativity award, , is a prize given in the Tour de France. It favours constant attackers and since 1981 the winner of the award has not won the whole Tour.- History :...

.

2004

Vinokourov missed the break on the second stage of the 2004 Paris–Nice that gained five minutes. but he won three stages. He attacked towards the end of a small climb on the fifth stage with 8 km to go. He built ten seconds and won by four seconds. He dedicated the win to Kivilev. Vinokourov attacked the lead group on the flat windy coastal road in the finale of stage 7,with 5 km to go. He caught and passed Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez González is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was the gold medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Road Race. In recent years Sánchez has proven himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton...

 with 2 km to go and won the stage. Vinokourov won the final stage in a breakaway sprint against Denis Menchov
Denis Menchov
Denis Nikolayevich Menchov , born 25 January 1978 in Oryol, is a professional Russian road bicycle racer for . He is a general classification rider and a climber. In 2005 he won the Vuelta a España, which he won for a second time in 2007...

 .

Vinokourov came third in Liège–Bastogne–Liège, behind Davide Rebellin
Davide Rebellin
Davide Rebellin is an Italian road bicycle racer, currently riding for the Italian Miche-Guerciotti team. He served a 2-year suspension for testing positive for Mircera at the 2008 Olympic Games...

 and Michael Boogerd
Michael Boogerd
Michael Boogerd is a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the leaders of a generation of Dutch cyclists in the late 1990s and early 2000s, together with teammate Erik Dekker, even inspiring Dutch authors to write a book called "Michael & Erik" about this generation, and the...

. Boogerd and Vinokourov had been matching each other while Rebellin waited for the sprint and won. Vinokourov crashed on the second stage of the Tour de Suisse
Tour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...

, tearing ligaments in his shoulder. That stopped his riding the 2004 Tour de France
2004 Tour de France
The 2004 Tour de France was the 91st, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 2004. It consisted of 20 stages over 3391 km.Lance Armstrong became the first to win six Tours de France. Armstrong had been favored to win, his competitors seen as being German Jan Ullrich, Spaniards Roberto Heras and...

.

He returned for the Regio Tour at the start of August. In the second stage, he won the time trial
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial  can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...

. In the following stage, he won the bunch sprint and took the leader’s jersey to win. He then rode the Vuelta a España
2004 Vuelta a España
The 59th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 4 to September 26, 2004...

 but due to food poisoning lost time during the first week. Vinokourov recovered and finished fourth in the time trial
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial  can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...

. He rode the world championship and took the bronze medal in the time trial
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial  can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...

.

2005 Season

Vinokourov’s first win in 2005 and the first for the team was Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He broke away with Jens Voigt
Jens Voigt
Jens Voigt is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . Voigt is known for his propensity to attack, and for his positive racing attitude. He is capable of repeated attacking, holding a high tempo, and breaking away from the peloton...

 with more than 50 km to go. Vinokourov attacked on the final short climb 6 km from the finish but could not get away from Voigt. Instead he waited and beat Voigt in the sprint. In the Dauphiné Libéré
Dauphiné Libéré
The Critérium du Dauphiné is an annual cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first half of June. The race was inaugurated by a local newspaper, the Dauphiné Libéré, which gave its name to the event...

, Vinokourov won the stage on Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the Drôme département. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald...

. He had attacked the favourites for the Tour de France
2005 Tour de France
The 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd Tour de France, taking place from July 2 to July 24, 2005. It comprised 21 stages over 3592.5 km, the winner's average speed was 41.654 km/h. The first stages were held in the département of the Vendée, for the third time in 12 years. The 2005 Tour was...

, reaching the breakaway before attacking at several hundred metres on the uphill finish to win the stage. Vinokourov travelled back to Kazakhstan to win the national championship ahead of Mizourov and Kashechkin.

2005 Tour de France

Vinokourov said in July 2005 that he was in as good condition as 2003, when he came third. Vinokourov said he was riding "for the team". The implication was that he would be leader if he or Andreas Klöden
Andreas Klöden
Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...

 (second in 2004
2004 Tour de France
The 2004 Tour de France was the 91st, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 2004. It consisted of 20 stages over 3391 km.Lance Armstrong became the first to win six Tours de France. Armstrong had been favored to win, his competitors seen as being German Jan Ullrich, Spaniards Roberto Heras and...

) rode better than Ullrich. Vinokourov came third in the opening time trial, beating Ullrich and Klöden by 15 seconds and 1:08. The American, Lance Armstrong, followed Vinokourov's attacks on stage 8 but let Klöden go. Vinokourov rode separately from his teammates, bringing speculation regarding Ullrich's role in the team.

Vinokourov lost time in the mountains. Revenge came when he won stage 11 in a break, outsprinting Santiago Botero.

Tension between Vinokourov and his team boiled on stage 14 into the Pyrenees where Vinokourov was dropped. He chased for 20 km and then attacked, but Kloden and Ullrich reeled him in, bringing criticism of T-Mobile's tactics which were apparently just to support Ullrich. Vinokourov settled his differences when he won stage 21 to Paris.

After 3rd place in the time trial in the penultimate stage, losing time to only Armstrong and Ullrich, Vinokourov moved to 6th, trailing Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major results are winning the 2007–2009 editions of the Tour of California, the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré and the 2005 Deutschland Tour, coming in second in the 2008 Vuelta a España, third in the 2001 Vuelta a...

 in 5th by two seconds. The final stage, usually a formality, became a showdown between Vinokourov and Leipheimer. A sprint prime with time bonuses came at 75 km in Châteny-Malabry. Leipheimer and his Gerolsteiner team came to the front. Leipheimer needed to prevent Vinokourov from getting it. Gerolsteiner set a fast tempo to discourage Vinokourov. But 1.5 km from the sprint, Vinokourov attacked. Soon only Leipheimer could hold his wheel, but he was not able to pass and so Vinokourov gained six seconds, Leipheimer four. Leipheimer was ahead only by a fraction of a second. When they reached Paris officials stopped the clock due to dangerous conditions (the cobblestone road was wet and slippery from rain), and the final sprint prime was cancelled.

Leipheimer said he was informed that normal bonus time for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place on the stage would also not be awarded. He and others thought Leipheimer had 5th place. In the final kilometers, several riders broke clear but were caught. Then, as the pace was increasing, Vinokourov moved to the front. With 2 km remaining, Laurent Brochard
Laurent Brochard
Laurent Brochard is a retired professional road racing cyclist from France. In 1997 he won a stage of the Tour de France and became world road champion in San Sebastián, Spain....

 attacked and Vinokourov jumped on his wheel. A few seconds later Brad McGee closed the gap. When Brochard cracked, McGee moved to the front, but Vinokourov followed. They achieved a gap that could not be closed. McGee zigged and zagged, making Vinokourov work, but Vinokourov found enough power to pull around McGee and win.

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
Andrei Kivilev
Andrei Kivilev was a professional road bicycle racer from Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan. In March 2003, he fell heavily during the Paris–Nice race and subsequently died of his injuries...

 yesterday in St. Etienne, and I think that motivated me even more. I'm very happy to win.


Tour officials awarded time bonuses after all, so Vinokourov gained 20 seconds to put him into 5th place. As his contract with T-Mobile was up in 2005, many speculated which team he would join, and whether it would give him full support in 2006. The team turned out to be Manolo Saiz
Manolo Saiz
Manuel "Manolo" Saiz Balbás is the former team manager of one of the most successful Spanish professional road bicycle racing teams, first called Team ONCE, then Liberty Seguros-Würth, Astana-Würth, and lastly Astana Team.Saiz was a hands-on manager and directeur sportif...

's team.

Astana-Würth Team

Liberty Seguros withdrew sponsorship on 25 May 2006 after the arrest of Manolo Saiz relating to blood doping. A coalition of companies from Kazakhstan took over sponsorship, now called . On June 30, 2006, Astana-Würth withdrew from the 2006 Tour de France
2006 Tour de France
The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of apparent winner Floyd Landis....

 after five riders were implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case
Operación Puerto doping case
Operación Puerto is the code name of a Spanish Police operation against the doping network of Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, started in May 2006, which resulted in a scandal that involved several of the world most famous cyclists at the time.Media attention has focused on the small number of...

, leaving Vinokourov, one of the favorites, with three teammates, below the required six riders. Vinokourov was never accused or implicated.

In the Vuelta a España, the team was known simply as after Würth
Würth
The Würth Group is a worldwide wholesaler of fasteners, screws and screw accessories, dowels, chemicals, furniture and construction fittings, tools, machines, installation material, automotive hardware, inventory management, storage and retrieval systems. Würth was founded in 1945 by Adolf Würth...

 departed sponsorship. After losing time in the first mountains, Vinokourov went into attack. He lost the 7th stage to Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship...

, took revenge by winning the 8th and 9th stages and climbed to 5th place at the end of the first week. After a good time trial, and aggressive climbing on stages 17 & 18 (stage 18 was won by Kashechkin), Vinokourov took first place and claimed the gold jersey from Valverde. After a strong time trial, his 3rd stage victory, Vinokourov won the Vuelta.

2007 Tour de France

In the 2007 Tour de France
2007 Tour de France
The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...

, Vinokourov rode for a new team backed by the same Kazakh sponsors who had taken over Liberty Seguros in 2006. This team was also known as . Vinokourov was aiming for victory in the Tour de France. After riding the Dauphiné Libéré
Dauphiné Libéré
The Critérium du Dauphiné is an annual cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first half of June. The race was inaugurated by a local newspaper, the Dauphiné Libéré, which gave its name to the event...

, he started the 2007 Tour on July 7 in London. Vinokourov fell in the first week, injuring both knees. He lost time in the Alps, and fell from the list of contenders.

After being written off, Vinokourov won the first individual time trial by 1:14 from Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...

. Vinokourov said: "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." He also secured a win in stage 15, a mountain stage finishing in Loudenvielle.

The following day, on July 24, Vinokourov failed the doping control following his time trial victory. His blood had a double population of erythrocytes, which implied a homologous transfusion. He delivered a positive for blood doping
Blood doping
Blood doping is the practice of boosting the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream in order to enhance athletic performance. Because such blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, a higher concentration in the blood can improve an athlete’s aerobic capacity and...

 on 24 July 2007.

As a result, his team pulled out after being requested to withdraw by ASO
Amaury Sport Organisation
The Amaury Sport Organisation is part of the French media group, EPA . It organises sporting events including the Tour de France and Paris–Nice professional cycle road races, and the Dakar Rally...

 president Patrice Clerc
Patrice Clerc
Patrice Clerc was a past president of the Amaury Sport Organisation which promotes a number of professional cycling events including the Tour de France. Previously, Clerc served as president and tournament director of the French Open tennis tournament from 1984-2000...



Vinokourov's B sample came back positive a few days later, and Cadel Evans was declared winner of stage 13. Vinokourov was stripped of his stage 15 victory, which was awarded to Kim Kirchen
Kim Kirchen
Kim Kirchen is a former Luxembourg road racing cyclist.-Career:Kirchen signed as a professional cyclist in 2000 with De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa, and went on to join in 2001...

 of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

. According to Phil Liggett
Phil Liggett
Phil Liggett, MBE is a British commentator and journalist who covers professional cycling. He currently commentates on the Tour de France and bike races for Versus, ITV and SBS...

, 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
Michele Ferrari
Michele Ferrari is an Italian physician, cycling coach and author.-Biography:Ferrari was born in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, where he still lives...

 in Italy. He must have known he would be tested at every opportunity, and the time trial was the perfect occasion."

Vinokourov received a one-year suspension from the Kazakhstan cycling federation The UCI
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....

 was angered by the short ban—a lighter sentence than those received by other cyclists found guilty, such as Tyler Hamilton
Tyler Hamilton
Tyler Hamilton is a former American professional road bicycle racer and former Olympic gold medalist. Hamilton became a professional cyclist in 1995, and during the 1999, 2000 and 2001 Tour de France was a teammate of Lance Armstrong who won those races.Hamilton appeared at the 2000 Summer...

 and Ivan Basso
Ivan Basso
Ivan Basso is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who is currently racing with UCI ProTeam . Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, is among the best mountain riders in the professional field in the 21st century, and is considered one of the strongest stage race riders...

--which would allow him to ride in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Astana has threatened to sue Vinokourov for damages, as has Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...

 and team , due to the publicity they lost for Evans not being named the winner at the time of the stage.

In December 2007, Vinokourov announced his retirement.

Return

Vinokourov, banned for a year after doping at the 2007 Tour de France, told the Belgian TV programme, Sporza, in September that he wanted to race again in 2009. He said: "I love cycling. I want to come back because I didn't want to end my career in this way. I feel as if I can win once again the big races."

The UCI then renewed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...

, asking it to overturn the one-year suspension by the Kazakh federation and to impose a standard two-year ban. This appeal, originally filed in 2007, was dropped when Vinokourov said he was retiring. The case was retabled and the CAS said the ban would expire on 24 July 2009.

Vinokourov made his comeback in Tour de l'Ain
Tour de l'Ain
Tour de l'Ain, also known as the Prix de l'Amitié , is an annual late season professional cycling stage race held mid-August. The first Tour de l'Ain was held in 1989 and was organized by Dante Lavacca, Armand Peracca and Maurice Josserand. From 1989 to 1992 it was an amateur event. In 1993 it...

 in August 2009, riding for Kazakhstan. In the third stage, a time trial over 8.6 km, he won his first race after his ban.
Vinokourov re-joined Astana on 24 August 2009 and was named for the 2009 Vuelta a España
2009 Vuelta a España
The 2009 Vuelta a España was the 64th Vuelta a España. The event took place from 29 August to 20 September 2009. For only the second time in the race's history, it began away from Spanish soil, with the race not in fact reaching Spain until Stage 5....

.

Vinokourov won the 2010 Liège–Bastogne–Liège
2010 Liège–Bastogne–Liège
The 2010 Liège–Bastogne–Liège monument classic cycling race took place on April 25, 2010. The race was won by Alexander Vinokourov after slipping into a breakaway with Alexandr Kolobnev...

, six seconds clear of Russia's Alexandr Kolobnev
Alexandr Kolobnev
Alexandr Viktorovich Kolobnev is a Russian professional road bicycle racer on the UCI ProTour with , currently suspended after his A sample revealed doping products.-Career:...

 with Spain's Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship...

 third.

2011

In the 9th stage of the Tour de France 2011 Vinokourov fell and broke his right femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...

. On July the 17th 2011 his retirement from professional cycling was announced, unofficially and without comment, on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...

 pages by fellow cyclists. Later that day he confirmed his retirement. In the following weeks and months, however, he went back on this decision. When his rehabilitation went better than anticipated, he revealed he would ride the 2011 Giro di Lombardia
2011 Giro di Lombardia
The 2011 Giro di Lombardia was the 105th edition of the Giro di Lombardia single-day cycling race, often known as the Race of the Falling Leaves. It was held on 15 October 2011, over a distance of , starting in Milan and ending in Lecco for the first time...

 before retiring. In September, he decided to postpone his retirement altogether, announcing that he would return for the 2012 season.

Palmarès

1998 –
  • 1st Overall, Four Days of Dunkirk
    Four Days of Dunkirk
    The Four Days of Dunkirk is road bicycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. Confusingly, since the addition of an individual time trial in 1963, the race has usually been held over a 5 or 6 day period. Since 2005, the race is organised as a 2.HC event on the UCI Europe...

  • 1st Overall, Tour de Picardie
    Tour de Picardie
    The Tour de Picardie is a professional multi-stage cycle road race held annually in Picardy, France. Since 2005, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour....

    • 1st, Stage 2a
  • 1st Overall, Circuit de Lorraine
    Circuit de Lorraine
    The Circuit de Lorraine is an multi-stage road bicycle racing held annually in Lorraine, France. Since 2005, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour....

    • 1st, Stage 4
  • 1st, Stage 6, Tour de Pologne
    Tour de Pologne
    The Tour de Pologne is a road bicycle racing stage race. It consists of seven or eight stages and is usually around 1,200 km in length. The race was first held in 1928. Until 1952 the race was held sporadically, but since then it has been an annual race...

  • 2nd Overall, Vuelta a Murcia
    Vuelta a Murcia
    The Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia is a road bicycle race held in and around Murcia, Spain. The race consists of a men's competition over five stages and is part of the UCI Europe Tour as a 2.1 event. The first four editions were reserved to amateurs....

  • 2nd, Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers
    Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers
    Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers is a road bicycle race held annually near Lillers, a commune in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France. The editions 1964-1995 were reserved to amateurs...



1999 –
  • 1st Overall, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
    • 1st, Stage 2
  • 1st Overall, Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
    Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
    The Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana is a road cycling stage race held in the Valencian Community , Spain. Its position in the cycling calendar means it is often used as preparation for the spring classics or the grand tours which take place later in the season.No editions of the race have been...

    • 1st, Stage 5b
  • 2nd Overall, Grand Prix du Midi Libre
    Grand Prix du Midi Libre
    The Grand Prix du Midi Libre was a multiple-stage cycling course in the south of France. The race, named after the newspaper that organized it, was first organized in 1949 and was an important preparation courses for the Tour de France...

    • 1st, Stage 2
    • 1st, Stage 6
  • 1st, Stage 3, Tour du Limousin
    Tour du Limousin
    Tour du Limousin is a 4-day road bicycle race held annually in Limousin, France. It was first held in 1968 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2011 it was upgraded to an 2.HC event. Between 1968 and 1974 it was an amateur race.-Winners:-External links:* *...



2000 –
  • 1st, Stage 18, Vuelta a España
    Vuelta a España
    The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...

  • 1st, Stage 1 (TTT
    Team time trial
    A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart...

    ), Tour de Suisse
    Tour de Suisse
    The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...

  • 2nd , Summer Olympics: Men's Road Race
    Cycling at the 2000 Summer Olympics
    At the 2000 Summer Olympics, 3 different Bicycle racing disciplines were contested: Road cycling, Track cycling, and Mountain biking.-Medal table:-Road cycling:-Track cycling:MenWomen-Mountain biking:-References:*...

  • 3rd Overall, Critérium International
    Critérium International
    The Critérium International is a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932....



2001 –
  • 1st Overall, Deutschland Tour
    Deutschland Tour
    The Deutschland Tour was the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI ProTour and has been moved to August...

    • 1st, Stage 6
  • 1st, Stage 4, Tour de Suisse
    Tour de Suisse
    The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...



2002 –
  • 1st Overall, Paris–Nice
    • 1st, Stage 4
  • 1st, Stage 3, Tour de Suisse
    Tour de Suisse
    The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...



2003 –
  • 1st, Amstel Gold Race
    2003 Amstel Gold Race
    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. The race stretched 250.7 kilometres, with the start in Maastricht and the finish in Valkenburg...

  • 1st Overall, Paris–Nice
    • 1st, Stage 5
  • 1st Overall, Tour de Suisse
    Tour de Suisse
    The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...

    • 1st, Stage 1
  • 3rd Overall, Tour de France
    2003 Tour de France
    The 2003 Tour de France started and ended in Paris. Lasting from July 5 to July 27 the race covered 3,427.5 km , proceeding clockwise in twenty stages around France, including six major mountain stages...

    • 1st, Stage 9
  • 3rd Overall, Deutschland Tour
    Deutschland Tour
    The Deutschland Tour was the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI ProTour and has been moved to August...



2004 –
  • 1st Overall, Regio-Tour
    Regio-Tour
    The Regio-Tour is a multi-stage road bicycle race held between France, Switzerland and Germany. It was first held in 1985 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour...

    • 1st, Stage 2
    • 1st, Stage 3
  • 1st, Stage 5, Paris–Nice
  • 1st, Stage 7, Paris–Nice
  • 1st, Stage 8, Paris–Nice
  • 3rd, UCI Road World Championships Time Trial
    2004 UCI Road World Championships
    The 2004 UCI Road World Championships took place in Verona, Italy, between September 27 and October 3, 2004. The event consisted of a road race and a time trial for men, women, men under 23, junior men and junior women.- Events summary :...

  • 3rd, Liège–Bastogne–Liège


2005 –
  • 1st, Liège–Bastogne–Liège
  • 1st, National Road Race Championship
  • 1st, Stage 4, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
  • 5th Overall, Tour de France
    2005 Tour de France
    The 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd Tour de France, taking place from July 2 to July 24, 2005. It comprised 21 stages over 3592.5 km, the winner's average speed was 41.654 km/h. The first stages were held in the département of the Vendée, for the third time in 12 years. The 2005 Tour was...

    • 1st, Stage 11
    • 1st, Stage 21


2006 –
  • 1st Overall, Vuelta a España
    • 1st, Combination classification
    • 1st, Stage 8
    • 1st, Stage 9
    • 1st, Stage 20
  • 1st Overall, Vuelta a Castilla y León
    Vuelta a Castilla y León
    The Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León is a professional road bicycle stage race held in Castile and León, Spain. Since 2005, Vuelta a Castilla y León has been a part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Past winners:-External links:*...

    • 1st, Stage 5
  • 3rd, UCI Road World Championships Time Trial
    2004 UCI Road World Championships
    The 2004 UCI Road World Championships took place in Verona, Italy, between September 27 and October 3, 2004. The event consisted of a road race and a time trial for men, women, men under 23, junior men and junior women.- Events summary :...



2007 –
  • 1st Points classification, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
    2007 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
    The 59th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré took place from June 10 to June 17, 2007. It consists of a Prologue and seven stages, of which one is time trial, covering a total of about 1140 km, starting in Grenoble and finishing in Annecy....

    • 1st, Stage 3
    • 1st, Stage 7
  • 3rd Overall, Tirreno–Adriatico


2009 –
  • 1st, Chrono des Nations
    Chrono des Nations
    Chrono des Nations - Les Herbiers Vendée is a single-day time-trial bicycle race held annually in October in Vendée, France. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour....

  • 1st, Asian Cycling Championships Time Trial
    Asian Cycling Championships
    The Asian Cycling Championships, is the annual asian championship for bicycle road and track racing organized by the Asian Cycling Confederation .- Championships :-Road race:-Time Trial:-Road race:-Time Trial:-Sprint:...

  • 1st, Stage 3b, Tour de l'Ain
    Tour de l'Ain
    Tour de l'Ain, also known as the Prix de l'Amitié , is an annual late season professional cycling stage race held mid-August. The first Tour de l'Ain was held in 1989 and was organized by Dante Lavacca, Armand Peracca and Maurice Josserand. From 1989 to 1992 it was an amateur event. In 1993 it...



2010 –
  • 1st Stage 13 Tour de France
    2010 Tour de France
    The 2010 Tour de France was the 97th edition of the Tour de France cycle race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on with an 8.9 km prologue time trial in Rotterdam, the first start in the Netherlands since 1996...

  • 1st Overall, Giro del Trentino
    Giro del Trentino
    The Giro del Trentino is an Italian cycle road race. It is run typically mid-to-late April over four stages in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region of Italy....

    • 1st, Stage 1 (ITT
      Individual time trial
      An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...

      )
  • 1st, Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    2010 Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    The 2010 Liège–Bastogne–Liège monument classic cycling race took place on April 25, 2010. The race was won by Alexander Vinokourov after slipping into a breakaway with Alexandr Kolobnev...

  • 2nd, Clásica de San Sebastián
    2010 Clásica de San Sebastián
    The 2010 Clásica de San Sebastián was the 29th edition of the Clásica de San Sebastián road cycling race. It took place on 31 July 2010, and will be the tenth event of the 2010 UCI ProTour, and the eighteenth event in the inaugural UCI World Ranking series. It started and finished in San...



2011 –
  • 1st, Stage 3, Tour of the Basque Country
    2011 Tour of the Basque Country
    The 2011 Tour of the Basque Country, was the 51st running of the Tour of the Basque Country cycling stage race. It started on 4 April in Zumarraga and ended on 9 April in Zalla and consisted of six stages, including a race-concluding individual time trial...

  • 3rd Overall, Tour de Romandie
    2011 Tour de Romandie
    The 2011 Tour de Romandie, was the 65th running of the Tour de Romandie cycling stage race. It started on 26 April in Martigny and ended on 1 May in Geneva and consisted of six stages, including a race-commencing prologue stage and also a penultimate day individual time trial...

    • 1st, Stage 3


Grand Tour General Classification results timeline

Grand Tour 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Giro
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...

- - - - - - - - - - - 6
2010 Giro d'Italia
The 2010 Giro d'Italia was the 93rd edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro started off in Amsterdam on 8 May and stayed in the Netherlands for three stages, before leaving the country...

-
Tour
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

35
1999 Tour de France
The 1999 Tour de France was the 86th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 1999. It was won by Lance Armstrong, his first of 7 consecutive wins, the most in Tour history. There were no French stage winners for the first time since the 1926 Tour de France.The 1999 edition of Tour de...

15
2000 Tour de France
The 2000 Tour de France was the 87th Tour de France, and took place from July 1 to July 23, 2000. It was won by American cyclist Lance Armstrong. The Tour started with an individual time trial in Futuroscope and ended traditionally in Paris. The distance travelled was 3662.5 km...

16
2001 Tour de France
The 2001 Tour de France was particularly difficult, having contained a 67-km long team time trial, two individual time trials and five mountain-top finishes on consecutive days, the second of which being the Chamrousse special category climb time trial. Thus, all the high-mountain stages were...

- 3
2003 Tour de France
The 2003 Tour de France started and ended in Paris. Lasting from July 5 to July 27 the race covered 3,427.5 km , proceeding clockwise in twenty stages around France, including six major mountain stages...

- 5
2005 Tour de France
The 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd Tour de France, taking place from July 2 to July 24, 2005. It comprised 21 stages over 3592.5 km, the winner's average speed was 41.654 km/h. The first stages were held in the département of the Vendée, for the third time in 12 years. The 2005 Tour was...

-
2006 Tour de France
The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of apparent winner Floyd Landis....

WD
2007 Tour de France
The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...

- - 16
2010 Tour de France
The 2010 Tour de France was the 97th edition of the Tour de France cycle race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on with an 8.9 km prologue time trial in Rotterdam, the first start in the Netherlands since 1996...

WD
2011 Tour de France
-Pre-race favourites:2010 winner Alberto Contador was suspended from cycling during a doping investigation from September 2010 to February 2011, during which time 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck was regarded as the favourite. When the suspension was lifted, Contador declared his desire to compete in...

Vuelta
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...

- 28
2000 Vuelta a España
The 55th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from August 26 to September 17, 2000. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 2,904 km, and was won by Roberto Heras of the cycling team.-External links:**...

- WD
2002 Vuelta a España
The 57th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 7 to September 29, 2002...

- WD
2004 Vuelta a España
The 59th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 4 to September 26, 2004...

- 1 - - WD
2009 Vuelta a España
The 2009 Vuelta a España was the 64th Vuelta a España. The event took place from 29 August to 20 September 2009. For only the second time in the race's history, it began away from Spanish soil, with the race not in fact reaching Spain until Stage 5....

-
2010 Vuelta a España
The 2010 Vuelta a España was held from August 28 to September 19 and was won by Vincenzo Nibali. The race began in Seville and ended, as is tradition, in Madrid.The race covered...

-
2011 Vuelta a España
The 2011 Vuelta a España was held from 20 August to 11 September. The race began in Benidorm with a team time trial and ended, as is traditional, in Madrid. The 2011 Vuelta was the 66th edition of the race and was the first Vuelta in 33 years that visited the Basque Country...



WD = withdrew

Other

Vinokourov was awarded the rank of honorary colonel in the Kazakh army in 2000, after he finished second to his then-Telekom teammate Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich is a German former professional road bicycle racer. In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. He went on to take five second places and a fourth in 2004 and third in 2005. He is considered one of the best time-trialists in the history of the sport...

 in the men's Olympic road race in Sydney. He was again recognized by the state for his sporting prowess in 2003 after finishing third overall in the Tour and received a medal as People’s Hero First Class. In late-2011 Vino was named as a candidate for parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan despite still being active as a professional cyclist.

See also


External links

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