Please No More Vino: Kazakh Dope Cheat Wants Back with Astana or Else

Alexandre Vinokourov is a perfect example of everything that is wrong with the "old guard" of professional cycling. Unapologetic, entitled, and arrogant, Vino stated yesterday that upon his return to professional cycling at the end of July, he'll join the Astana team . . . whether team director Johan Bruyneel likes it or not. In a flippant display of classless self-rightousness, Vino claims that he began the Kazakh team and that Bruyneel will have to leave the team if he doesn't agree with Vino's return.

A word of warning to Vinokourov: Be careful what you wish for. Johan Bruyneel needs Astana far less than they need him. He brought in many of the big guns on the Astana team (Contadro, Armstrong, Leipheimer, Horner, Brajkovic, etc.) and many of those riders would likely follow him where he to switch teams. Add in the strong possibility of Lance Armstrong beginning his own team, and you suddenly have an Astana team seriously lacking in fire power should Bruyneeel decide to leave.

That Vinokourov even has a chance to demand that he be let back into the Astana team shows just how week the upper management on the team is. Willing to take back a cheat who has yet to admit he cheated is something few other teams would do. Hopefully Bruyneel leaves, takes his stable of talent with him, and then blows the doors off Vinokourov and the rest of the remaining Astana dregs. Until then though we the fans will have to endure the obtuse ramblings of a known cheater, while we hope for his eventual permanent banishment from the sport of cycling.