Alexander Vinokourov rarely gives interviews. He is a man of few words and cares little about what people think of him despite being in charge of Astana, one of the biggest team in professional cycling.
During the first part of his career as a rider he was admired for his aggressive style of racing but in 2007 he tested positive for a homologous blood transfusion during the Tour de France. Following his two-year ban Vinokourov defiantly returned to the sport in 2009 and won Liege-Bastogne-Liege for a second time in 2010.
A fractured femur during the 2011 season almost ended Vinokourov's career but he came back and won the gold medal in the road race at the London Olympics and then immediately announced his retirement. He used his success at home in Kazakhstan to secure full control of the Astana team, which is now in its tenth year and is targeting success at the Giro d'Italia with Vincenzo Nibali and at the Tour de France with Fabio Aru.
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In this exclusive interview, Vinokourov talks about Nibali's chances of victory at the rapidly approaching Giro d'Italia; discusses the problems the Astana team overcame to hold its licence in 2015 and responds to those who question if he deserves a place as an important team manager.
Nibali, Aru and Astana's major goals for 2016
The Astana team has won 18 races so far this season but has always put far more importance on the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana. Vincenzo Nibali was off the pace at the recent Giro del Trentino but everyone at Astana insists that thanks to a big block of training at altitude, the Sicilian is set to peak for the decisive final week of the Giro d'Italia – his first goal of a busy summer than ends with the road race in the Rio Olympics in August.
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