Astana Cycling Team

www.ltdl.com

In the final year of his successful career, Alexandre Vinokourov will return to the race where it all started for him fifteen years ago: Le Tour de Langkawi. The Kazakh super star will lead the Astana Pro Team in the Malaysian UCI 2.HC event from February 24 to March 4.

“I’ve always wanted to do this race again but it was never on my team’s calendar or appropriate for my race schedule”, said Vinokourov who took part in the second edition of Le Tour de Langkawi in 1997. A member of the Kazakh national team, he was scouted by Gilles Mas who directed the Casino team in Malaysia and realized his exceptional strength even though he was sick and didn’t deliver results like his team-mate and compatriot Andrey Mizourov who won the inaugural time trial in Kota Kinabalu. It was the only trip up to date of LTdL to East Malaysia on the Borneo island.

After the 1997 Le Tour de Langkawi, Vinokourov joined Mas’ French amateur club EC Saint-Etienne and signed as a neo-pro for Casino. “Le Tour de Langkawi has a special place in my heart and I always knew that it is a very well organised race”, the Kazakh said.

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After discovering that bad intentioned people used his name on Twitter, Alexandre Vinokourov has just discovered in an interview with a Swiss journalist that his emails have been hacked.

This invasion of privacy is a new episode of the pressure and personal attacks that the Kazakh leader suffered in recent years. "I do not understand why some people are always looking to find some stories about me, says Alexandre Vinokourov. I am a cyclist and there is no place in our sport for the gutter press. I don't ever allow myself to attack anyone personally. I wish to finish my career quietly even though obviously it bothers some people that I'm still on a bike. "

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www.cyclingnews.com

Kazakhstan’s ruling Nur Otan party has named Alexandre Vinokourov among its list of candidates for the country’s forthcoming general election, which takes place on January 15.

Vinokourov’s name was greeted with generous applause when it was announced before delegates on Friday during the unveiling of the party's 127 candidates. Nur Otan is currently the only party represented in the Mazhilis, the lower chamber of the Kazakh parliament.

“It’s an honour for me to participate in the election as a candidate for a position as a deputy,” Vinokourov said, according to dhnet.be.

Kazakhstan uses a list system to elect its members of parliament, meaning that if elected, Vinokourov would not have to take up his seat immediately and could replace a sitting Nur Otan deputy at a later date.

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Stay:

• Francesco Masciarelli (till the end of 2013)
• Paolo Tiralongo (till the end of 2013)
• Alexandre Vinokourov (till the end of 2012)
• Roman Kreuziger (till the end of 2012)
• Enrico Gasparotto (till the end of 2012)
• Evgeny Petrov (till the end of 2012)
• Fredrik Kessiakoff (till the end of 2012)
• Assan Bazayev
• Alexandr Dyachenko
• Dmitriy Fofonov
• Andriy Grivko
• Maxim Iglinskiy
• Valentin Iglinskiy
• Tanel Kangert
• Robert Kiserlovski
• Yevgeniy Nepomnyachsiy
• Sergey Renev
• Andrey Zeits

Come:

• Janez Brajkovic (RadioShack) - officially confirmed by 30/09/2011
• Simone Ponzi (Liquigas-Cannondale)
• Fabio Aru
• Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil-DCM) - officially confirmed by 19/09/2011
• Kevin Seeldraeyers (Quick Step) - officially confirmed by 19/09/2011
• Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre-ISD) - officially confirmed by 23/08/2011
• Egor Silin (Katusha) - officially confirmed by 23/08/2011
• Jacopo Guarnieri (Liquigas-Cannondale) - officially confirmed by 23/08/2011
• Dmitriy Muravyev (RadioShack) - officially confirmed by 08/08/2011
• Andrey Kashechkin (Lampre-ISD) - officially confirmed by 01/08/2011

Out:

• Josep Jufre
• Mirco Lorenzetto
• Andrey Mizourov
• Maxim Gourov (end of career)
• Allan Davis > GreenEDGE - officially confirmed by 20/09/2011
• Gorazd Stangelj (end of career)
• Tomas Vaitkus > GreenEDGE - officially confirmed by 29/08/2011
• Roman Kireyev (end of career) - officially confirmed by 22/08/2011
• Rémy Di Gregorio > Cofidis - officially confirmed by 05/08/2011
• Simon Clarke > GreenEDGE - officially confirmed by 23/08/2011

www.velonation.com
Italian and Spanish venues for pre-season work
The start of the season is almost two months away but the Astana team is intensifying its preparations for 2012 with two back-to-back training camps being held this month. On Monday the riders will meet in Montecatini in Italy and stay there until Thursday, after which they will fly to Calpe in Spain for the start of a ten day camp there.

Apart from building fitness, the aim will be to ensure the equipment and bike setup is fine-tuned for the riders, as well as to discuss plans for the season.

The Astana team will once again be led by Alexandre Vinokourov in 2012, and will be bolstered by the addition of riders like Vuelta a España stage winner Borut Bozic, 2010 Critérium du Dauphiné victor Janez Brajkovic, Vuelta al Pais Vasco stage winner Francesco Gavazzi and the promising Belgian rider Kevin Seeldraeyers.
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Contador faces opponents at CAS with attorneys Mike Morgan (center) and Adam Lewis (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

albertocontadornotebook.info

La Gazzetta dello Sport (print edition) | November 17 | He had no doubt, and when Alberto called him, Paolo didn't think twice about it. He decided immediately: "Sure, I'll come to Lausanne to be a witness."
Alberto is Contador, the number one. Paolo is Tiralongo: This year he won his first career victory - the Macugnaga stage at the Giro - with the King's blessing. And in 2010, he was Contador's teammate at Astana, and his gregario in that victorious and, thanks to the clenbuterol case, controversial Tour.

"I was always around him, and not only during the race." So it was not by chance that this 34-year-old Sicilian was present at what would prove to be a key moment of that Tour: the dinner at the Hotel Lescar in Pau. Precisely the one with "clenbuterol in the meat."

And so Tiralongo will be the only Italian among Contador's witnesses at the CAS hearing (November 21-24, with a decision expected within 6-8 weeks). Barring changes to the schedule, he'll arrive in Switzerland on the evening of the 22nd, and will testify in Contador's favor the next day.

Tiralongo, do you still remember the evening that later became famous?
Yes, of course. Those were the decisive days of a hard-fought Tour (in Paris, Alberto was only ahead of Andy by 39 seconds). Alberto and I were in close contact; in reality, we did practically all the same things. Read the rest of this entry →

www.kessiakoff.com

Right now I'm at Frankfurt airport, on my way back from Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan (just if someone hasn't realized by now ). I was there with three other European riders from the team, as well as our main sports director and a couple of other staff and Kazakh team members. We were there to represent the team and to be guests at the track world cup, held in the new impressive velodrom which was finished only last year. It was also great to finally get to see the city and country which I represent as I train and race throughout the world.We were very well looked after, having a great time despite the fact that this trip was in the middle of our vacation.

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albertocontadornotebook.info

Alberto Contador - winner of three Tours, two Giros and a Vuelta - has taken the most important trophy of his life today in a ceremony at Santo Domingo de Silos church in Pinto.

In his home-town church, before the watchful eyes of family members and closest friends, Alberto escorted his lifelong sweetheart Macarena to the altar, where they were married at midday.

Macarena Pescador, 26, and Alberto, who will soon be 29, have been together for more than ten years. They met in Pinto when she was 15 and he was 17, and have never separated.

Macarena has been with Alberto during the best of times and the worst of times. From long before his first post-surgery victory in the 2005 Tour Down Under, through the controversies that the champion has been thrust into by virtue of his fame, Macarena has been the constant support to whom he has dedicated scores of victories. Read the rest of this entry →