Vino to race the Olympics???



Aquamarinos said:
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Vinokourov_planning_to_return_at_the_Olympics_article_254282.html

Hmmm............
I really liked Vino, his positive test was pretty devastating. The 1 year suspencion was ridiculous.
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?
 
TheDarkLord said:
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.
 
micron said:
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 ;)
 
thunder said:
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.
I always wondered why the Kazakhs would stick around as sponsors, now we know.
 
RdBiker said:
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 ;)
no, not businessman, oligarchs and bureaucrats from crypto-authoritarian state
 
thunder said:
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.
 
micron said:
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.
 
micron said:
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.
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.
 
TheDarkLord said:
Haha! We should probably put JB in the "untimely demise watch list". :D

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
 
coneofsilence said:
So then why does Bruyneel say stuff like this then???? Is he really that stupid??
you think Bruyneel cares? As long as his contract is enforceable, he does not care. Vino can come back, and Bruyneel can leave. They are probably paying him upwards of 300 thousand Euro per, maybe even 500k Euro, so, he will get his money.

If Vino comes back, and JB leaves and gets his contract paid out, JB is happier. Has his dough, aint gotta work for it.

Best of both worlds for JB.
 
Hopefully some people are thinking that JB is a great stratege...but his statement is far from consistency, or worst that is just another smokescreen!

Probably he was trying to give some credibilities to his act of cleaning Astana team. But he forgot his critics about Astana exclusion by ASO.
Is there no similarity?
Would it be correct to exclude Vino the champion of Astana people and Astana sponsor? Of course no. Draw your own conclusion.