"I tried to take over Juan Ayuso's contract... We were also interested in Aleksandr Vlasov" - Vinokourov reveals transfer frustration for Astana over off-season

For Alexander Vinokourov it has been a busy winter off-season. The Kazakh team boss oversaw new sponsorship as his team changed from the Astana Qazaqstan Team to XDS Astana Team. Despite his best efforts though, the team couldn't quite signify their new intentions with a box office signing.

"If I didn't believe in it and if the riders didn't believe in it, there would be no point in starting the season. I'm naturally optimistic and I believe that the tide will finally turn in our direction," Vinokourov tells L'Equipe about the new investors into the Astana team. "The team has been badly managed. Unfortunately, we collapsed due to internal tensions that could have been avoided if my vision and experience had been followed. Instead, they tried to force me out."

Given all he has done for the team over the course of his career, Vinokourov simply wouldn't stand idly by and watch the Astana team fade into cycling obscurity. "I'm the one who brought Kazakhstan into cycling in 2006," he says with defiance. "I think that in the last twenty years the name Astana was mentioned the most because of the cycling team. Few people knew where the city and even the country were on the world map. We created a beautiful image of my country thanks to the cycling team."

Despite making 14 signings over the transfer window though, Astana haven't quite managed to secure that one blockbuster acquisition to lead the team into the next generation. "I tried to take over Juan Ayuso's contract," admits Vinokourov after rumours of disharmony within UAE Team Emirates - XRG for the Spanish star. "We were also interested in Aleksandr Vlasov, which would have been possible if Remco Evenepoel had gone to Red Bull."

Nevertheless, the 51-year-old is confident his team can do enough to keep themselves in the World Tour by the end of the current UCI relegation cycle. "We have no other choice than to stay in the World Tour to secure our future," he concludes. "I am convinced that we can turn the situation around and regain our place among the best."