Alexandre Vinokourov’s chance to take an Asian Games gold medal has evaporated after the 37 year old was forced to withdraw from the competition.
The Astana leader has experienced knee problems since the Tour of Hainan. He was forced to pull out of that race and while he was able to return to competition and win the Vuelta a Chihuahua in Mexico, he continued to experience pain.
He’s weighed things up and with the start of the new season just over two months away, he has opted to take a break from racing and allow it to fully heal before returning to racing.
“This is a very difficult decision to make,” he stated, talking about his decision not to travel to China. “The Asian Games are a very important event for Kazakhstan. I was hoping for a title in the race against the clock, but you have to be reasonable and not take risks with health.”
Vinokourov returned from racing last year after a two year suspension and won the Asian championships time trial. He was also second in the road race there. This season was a successful one, with wins in the Giro del Trentino, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and on stage 13 of the Tour de France. He also led the Giro d’Italia for several days and finished both sixth overall and second in the points classification.
He shared team leadership with Alberto Contador this year but following the Spaniard’s departure, will assume top slot in 2011. He has said that he still wants to try to win the Tour de France, even if he admits it will be a very difficult task.
“It is a dream, and one that remains,” he told Kapital.kz one month ago. “I will fight in 2011 for overall victory. But in the presence of such strong opponents as Contador and the Schleck brothers, it is very difficult to expect to win.”
He said that he is unlikely to ride the Giro d’Italia, naming another rider as the likely leader there. “I think Roman Kreuziger is the strongest addition. He is young but a very promising racer. Perhaps Roman will be the main striking force of Astana in the Giro and will be my principal assistant in the Tour.”