According to nieuwsblad.be, team Astana’s Alexandre Vinokourov would be willing to end his cycling career early for a chance to direct the team. In response, the International Cycling Union’s (UCI) President Pat McQuaid said that “Vinokourov is not on the list” that was submitted to the governing body. The team is currently trying to prove their stability in order to maintain their ProTour license.
However, if Vinokourov were to step in to a management position for the team, McQuaid would take serious exception. He told nieuwsblad.be that he made the Kazakh’s aware that they must appoint a solid management team that meets standards both ethically and in terms of quality of riders in order to remain at the ProTour level. If they fail to achieve the mandate, their ProTour license would be reviewed and likely revoked.
The UCI would certainly cite the ethical standards in place pointing to his his doping violation should the Kazakh make a serious play for a management role.
The team has been publicly pointing to the management team of Wagtmans Rini, the man who has been negotiating with the UCI on behalf of the Kazakhs, and former Rabobank director Theo de Rooij as the future leadership for the squad.
But current leader Johan Bruyneel intends to remain at the helm until his contract expires saying, “My last day on the team will be December 31, 2009. I am the head of a group of people whose job I want to guarantee. They too need to be paid till the end of the year.”
Bruyneel confirmed that if there was any hope for the fledgling team it would lie in his respected colleague Wagtmans Rini.