Vinokourov comments on Miguel Ángel López case: "We have rules inside our squad, and if you don’t follow them, you’re out"

“We gave him a helping hand in 2021 and we got some good results with him. It’s a pity he’s gone against the team’s internal rules. I can’t go into details or say much. We have rules inside our squad, and if you don’t follow them, you’re out," the former Olympic champion told the media in a recent press conference. 

López had been previously interrogated, and was recently fired from the team following "new elements" discovered by the team connecting him with Dr. Marcos Maynar who ran a doping program in Spain, which has been dismantles this year. The Colombian repeatedly distanced himself from the accusations, and went as far as to bring up legal action against the team over the contract termination.

“There’s nothing more to say. We gave him one chance before the Vuelta, but I can’t play around. It’s clear for everybody, you have to respect that," Vinokourov stated clearly. This comes as a huge blow to the team who scored the least UCI points this season out of the World Tour outfits, as they lose their top scorer.

Teams are already preparing their 2023 seasons deeply, however Astana has had some budget freed due to the occurrences. It is unsure if they will still be able to sign a major rider, however he has mentioned Mark Cavendish as a possibility into the 2023 season.

Furthermore, the Kazakh team hopes to benefit off it's new batch of young riders it's developing, such as Gleb Syritsa and under-23 World Champion Yevgeniy Fedorov. “Having the under-23 world champion is also good for us and his win in Australia was a good end of the season for us. That was important for Kazakhstan, it gives us hope. We’re on a good road now," he concluded.