Following on from his stated intent to take legal action against the Swiss magazine which last week claimed he reached a financial agreement with Alexandr Kolobnev to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Alexandre Vinokourov has used the social media Facebook to communicate a longer statement on the issue. The UCI has said that it will look into the matter if it receives evidence from the magazine, l’Illustré. In the meantime, the Astana leader has dismissed the allegations as a ‘put-up job’ by journalists trying to boost their careers by attacking a well-known person. He suggested he’s a target due to his position as future leader of the Astana team plus being a ‘candidate for deputy,’ the latter presumably a reference to his possible future political career.
On November 26th the 38 year old rider was named by the ruling Nur Otan party as one of 127 candidates for the parliamentary elections on January 15th. He recently said that while he wanted to concentrate on his career, which is expected to continue until the London Olympics, that he could take up other roles after that.
It is understood that an uptake of a parliamentary position could be deferred until a later point.
“I've established myself as a successful athlete. I'm now an athlete with a worldwide reputation and recognition. But my career, as a professional racer, is coming to its end little by little,” he wrote. “And I'm already building my new career: I'm a candidate for deputy and the future leader of the ‘Astana Team.’
Vinokourov goes on to say that negative press comes with the territory, saying that ‘all famous and successful persons [sic]’ feature in what he refers to as ‘yellow’ articles.
“All these scandalous articles about me are a put-up job, otherwise some tabloids or individual journalists want only make their "PR" using the name of a famous person,” he argued.
“I think…that kind of lying, scandalous articles about me will continue to be. But they won't stop me. I'll go ahead and reach new heights. I would like my fans, the fans of cycling, my friends, colleagues and acquaintances to treat with understanding the various rumors and false articles about me.
“I'm mentally prepared for any attacks and provocations from the part of the ill-wishers; and my lawyer are ready to repel them.”
The 38 year old rider returned to racing in August 2009 after serving a two year suspension for a blood transfusion. His Liège-Bastogne-Liège win in 2010 was one of his first big successes after that sanction ended, and so it was of considerable importance to his comeback.
While agreements have long been part of pro cycling, and have been acknowledged in some races such as when the race leader gifts a stage win to a breakaway companion or meritorious rival, he insists that no deal was made with Kolobnev.
Such agreements are also banned under the UCI rules. That regulation is seldom enforced, but the publication of the l’Illustré article has forced the issue out into the open.
What happens next depends on whether the magazine has proof of its claims, and how the UCI, plus Vinokourov and his lawyers, react to the article in question.