'I raced and trained with fear and pain' – Alexandre Vinokourov announces retirement at 23

Alexandre Vinokourov, son of the all-time Kazakhstani great of the same name, confirmed Sunday that he has ended his brief professional career at 23.

Seriously injured in a crash in March and suffering the consequences for the rest of the season, Vinokourov announced he would be hanging up his wheels shortly after completing the Tour de Langkawi, where the team took four stage victories.

Alexandre Vinokourov had formed part of the XDS-Astana Development team since 2022, but took part in occasional races with the senior squad, such as Langkawi, where his twin brother Nicolas, who races for the WorldTour squad, also took part this year.

"Seven months since my crash, I raced, trained with fear and pain," Vinokourov wrote on X after finishing the last stage of Langkawi, won by teammate Aaron Gate.

"I'm blessed and proud to have helped the team achieve four wins and fourth on GC in my last race as a rider.

"Thanks to all the people who were there in this chapter and see you soon in the next one."

According to L'Équipe, the crash to which Vinokourov referred took place during a training ride in Greece, when he was struck by a car, causing him to break the top of his right femur.

Alexandre Vinokourov's father, also named Alexandre, is Kazakhstan's most successful racer to date, claiming the Vuelta a España, the 2012 Olympic Road Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (twice) amongst other victories before going on to manage Astana-XDS, a job title he holds to this day.