Vinokourov to skip the Spring Classics and P-N in 2006

Alexander Vinokourov will be focusing his attention on the Tour de France in 2006 with his new team, Liberty Seguros-Wurth. His preparations will be different, he says in an interview on the team's website:

"I will make my debut in the Vuelta a Murcia and then I will ride Milan-San Remo and the Setmana Catalana. This year, I will neither be in Paris-Nice nor the classics, which have always motivated me, but that also means an added stress. On the other hand, I will probably do the Tour of Georgia and, then the Dauphiné Libéré."

He is pleased with his chances at the Tour with Liberty, saying, "The team has a lot of experience in this race, it works very well for its leader and gives the maximum for him." In a swipe at his former T-Mobile Team, he adds, "Besides, there are no other aims here, you don't work for a sprinter, nor do you think about the green maillot either."

Courtesy of Susan Westemeyer