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Jul 3, 2009, 9:12 GMT

Armstrong to leave Astana if Vinokourov returns - report

Paris - The imminent return of Kazakh cyclist Alexandre Vinokourov to his former team Astana could mean that seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and team director Johan Bruyneel will be fired, the daily L'Equipe reported Friday. The 35-year-old Vinokourov was suspended for two years for doping during the 2007 Tour de France. The suspension expires on July 24, and the Kazakh rider said he would be returning to Astana. 'I don't see why I should ride for another team (than Astana) since it was me that formed it in 2006,' he said Thursday. 'This team was made for me.... If Johan Bruyneel doesn't want me, it's maybe he that has to go.' Relations between Bruyneel and the Kazakh Cycling Federation, which runs Astana, have been tense at best. Federation vice president Nicolai Proskurine said Bruyneel 'has given a very bad image of our country' and suggested that he 'form his own team in the United States.' L'Equipe also quoted Proskurine as saying, 'We are going to meet with (Astana leader) Alberto Contador to propose a contract extension for the coming years.' The future Astana team will be composed 'primarily of Spanish and Kazakh riders, including Alexandre Vinokourov,' Proskurine said. That would exclude Armstrong as well as fellow American Levi Leipheimer from the team's plans. L'Equipe reported that the new Astana team could be presented as early as September.

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