Vinokourov soldiers on

Alexander Vinokourov (Astana) grits

Alexander Vinokourov (Astana) grits (Image credit: AFP)

After finishing stage five with his shorts ripped open, his knees dripping blood and his backside missing skin, Alexandre Vinokourov's bid for the final general classification in the Tour was as bruised as his body. With just one flat stage before the Alps and two days until the daunting mountain top finish in Tignes, Vinokourov's fall came at the worst possible time. The steely Kazakh is determined, however, to soldier on. "I'll be back," he told Sporza.be. "I must continue, I haven't broken anything."

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