Vinokourov's return may cause UCI sanctions against Astana team

Return of Kazakhstan cyclist Aleksandr Vinokourov to professional sport can cause UCI sanctions against Astana cycling team, L’Equipe writes. In case Vinokourov participates in Tour of Lombardyon October 15, Kazakhstan team will exceed the number of sportsmen. According to UCI rules, there should be not more than 28 cyclists in the team. Vinokourov announced retirement a week after crashing out of the Tour de France with a thigh fracture. Back then Astana announced that the contract with Vinokourov is terminated and Andrey Kashechkin will take his place. Vinokourov recently said that the recovery is going well and he is planning to have a farewell race in Italy on October 15. Vinokourov also added that he did not terminate the contract with Astana which is signed until 2012. The French publication writes that this incident may undermine credibility of Astana and cause it to loose the status of a professional team. Kashechkin was hired to replace Vinokourov as the leader of Astana in Spanish Vuelta. After two stages of the race Kashechkin was ranked 15th in general classification being 10 seconds behind the leader Daniel Bennati.