The Olympic champion was nearly kicked out of the Astana cycling team after revealing the budget details.

The manager of the cycling team "Astana," which this season is named XDS-Astana, Olympic champion Alexander Vinokurov shared how he nearly faced dismissal in 2024, as reported by Caravan.kz.

In an interview with L’Équipe, Vinokurov mentioned that he went through a challenging period in 2024 before a major sponsor from China joined the team — there was a question regarding his potential dismissal. However, as they enter 2025, "Astana" is stepping in with a decent budget and aims to reach the Top-18 by the end of the 2025 competitions to maintain their spot in the World Tour.

Nevertheless, achieving this will require a modest lineup by the standards of the global elite.

“We don’t have a cyclist capable of winning the overall classification in a three-week race, but we can aim to make some significant impacts. We have no choice. To survive, we must remain in the World Tour. I am confident that we can turn the tide and find our place among the best,” emphasized Alexander Vinokurov.

The Olympic champion revealed that "Astana" sought a strong foreign rider to lead their stage races, but Alexander Vlasov declined to return, and they were unable to reach an agreement with Juan Ayuso. Vinokurov stated that "Astana's" budget does not exceed 30 million, with a significant portion of the expenses for cycling teams going towards athlete salaries.