A few days ago La Gazzetta dello Sport cited an internal letter sent from Astana manager Alexander Vinokourov to his star rider Vincenzo Nibali in which the Kazakh team leader heavily criticized the Italian for the lack of results in the spring season. Announcing the roster for the Criterium du Dauphiné, Vinokourov plays down the importance of his harsh words.

 

Vincenzo Nibali has certainly not had the spring season that he expected. The 2013 Giro champion had hoped to perform well in the Ardennes classics before focusing on his big goal at the Tour de France but the Italian was never in the mix in the hilly one-day races.

 

This week it emerged that his Astana team haven’t been satisfied with his performances either as La Gazzetta dello Sport cited an internal letter sent from manager Alexander Vinokourov to Nibali at the time of the classics. Based on an unknown source, the paper cited the letter, claiming that the Kazakh had been disappointed with the results and expected more from his star rider.

 

Yesterday La Gazzetta dello Sport revealed that the letter has done nothing to improve the atmosphere in the team and that the parties have had to find a temporary agreement to get through the final and most important part of the seasons. Apparently, the differences in opinion are so great that Nibali may leave the team at the end of the season despite having extended his contract until the end of the 2016 season.

 

Yesterday Vinokourov responded to the heavy debate, issuing a statement that tried to play down the importance of his letter.

 

“In late March, after a Spring racing campaign that provided fewer successful results than expected, I sent an email to all riders and staff at Astana Pro Team to motivate and encourage everyone not to lose hope, and to continue training at the highest level,” he said. “How this normal reaction by a General Manager, intended to motivate potentially discouraged athletes and personnel, turned into a full-scale polemic in Italy’s leading sports newspaper, is an intriguing mystery that bears no resemblance to reality.”

 

Nibali now heads into the most important part of his season that culminates at the Tour de France. Today he returns to competition at the Criterium du Dauhpiné and he will be supported by a formidable roster that is made up of the core of the Tour de France team.

 

“After a spectacular Giro d’Italia by Fabio Aru and the entire squad, ending with a G.C. podium and a legendary stage win, Astana Pro Team now turns its attention to our primary 2014 objective, the Tour de France, with a strong and aggressive line up at the Criterium du Dauphine,” Vinokourov ended his statement.

 

Astana for the Criterium du Dauphiné:

Vincenzo Nibali, Lieuwe Westra, Jakob Fuglsang, Tanel Kangert, Dmitriy Gruzdev, Andriy Grivko, Alessandro Vanotti and Andrey Zeits