Vino to race the Olympics???

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/...le_254282.html

Hmmm............
I really liked Vino, his positive test was pretty devastating. The 1 year suspencion was ridiculous.

ahhh, no wonder Astana is sticking around.

Vino and Kashechkin can get right back in the team in 12 months after their positives.

They can bribe Giro and Vuelta organisers to invite them.

Let us see what the UCI does here. Everyone is snubbing them now - LG signing Basso immediately after the end of his ban although by UCI rules, they shouldn't be doing so for another 2 years; now Vino coming back after a 1 year suspension. I think they have to take some action though or they will look like total dumbasses. The Kazhakhs are breaking norms regarding both the length of ban, and for out of competition tests. Who knows what drugs Vino has been doing once he "retired", since there was no testing done?

So looking forward to watching the hog try and wriggle his way out of this one...If I were Dirty Bertie I'd be packing my bags now cause an Astana with added Vino is one team that's never going to ride the Tour de France. And though we keep being told Astana are all new, the money men are still the same and they'll make sure Vino gets his ride.

Well if you look at Vino, he's 34 now and his REAL retirement is lurking just around the corner. Last summer lots of people were saying that the 2007 Tour was probably (one of) his last change(s) to win the Tour so, with or without dope his body is getting older. He just might be able to take a shot at the 2009 when he's 35 but any later than that and his chances are getting pretty slim. And we can be pretty sure he's not going to be a domestique for anyone else

For the team it makes absolutely no sense to hire Vino back since they have all the top riders they need, they just have to get invited to the Tour to win it. And I doubt the sponsors of the team are willing to take such a risk as to get banned from all the bigger races of 2009 too, they're businessmen after all.

I think Vino will just ride the Olympics and that's it - his last attempt at eternal glory in Kazakhstan

__________________
It never gets easier, you just go faster
Oton ATK Sandisk Mp3-soittimet ja Koss kuulokkeet

I always wondered why the Kazakhs would stick around as sponsors, now we know.

no, not businessman, oligarchs and bureaucrats from crypto-authoritarian state

If Vino and Kash want back in Astana then they'll get their way - Vino has been lurking behind the scenes anyway and Kash has been training with the feeder team. That's why it makes me laugh when people claim Astana are a totally new team - because the decision makers and the money men are not new, and they ultimately hire and fire.

.........and Vino was and is the conduit for the businessmen backing Astana.
Vino has been and remains the real source of control at Astana.

__________________
.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

The whole "new team" hoopla is just a spin by the JB fanboys to justify why Astana should be allowed to race the grand tours. If anyone but JB were at the helm of Astana, we would be hearing a different song.

Well, if they do hire Vino back that will be the end of their 2009 tour invite.

JB would "rather die" than have Vino on the team:

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/...le_254812.html

Haha! We should probably put JB in the "untimely demise watch list".

Jokes aside, I wonder how much of a say JB really has in the affair. If Vino really wants to come back, I imagine that he has enough influence to sidetrack JB or get him fired?

it aint bruyneel's decision. It is Vino's team

So then why does Bruyneel say stuff like this then???? Is he really that stupid??