Outside of Kazakh oil barons and their Rolex-wearing apparatchik ilk, I may be the only person in the world who welcomes Vino’s return to pro-cycling. Astana is his baby, and were it not for his connections in the shady central Asian underworld and the even shadier corridors or political power in Kazakhstan, pro cycling may very well not have survived the Landis/Phonak debacle. Despite his later doping transgressions, his efforts off the bike completely revolutionized and revitalized pro-tour sponsorship. A testosterone patch left on too long coupled with the massive amounts of money required by the increasing formula one-isation of the sport, had made the traditional provincial sponsors anxious to say the least. Coupled with this, the sport had become increasingly global and less (western) European.
When the traditional Belgian flooring companies, Italian textile firms and the assorted rich cycling angels were all jumping ship from what had become a PR nightmare, Vino stepped in with a bunch of sketchy Caucasian money….and in the process saved pro-cycling.
Without Vino there would be no Katusha, no Astana, and probably a downsized, cleaner weirder pro-tour without Armstrong, Riis, and all the big money programs. In short the racing would be worse, the spectacle dimmer.
It’s just a shame about that silly blood transfusion thing. Welcome back Vino.
