Alexandre Vinokourov could face prison sentence after allegedly fixing Liège-Bastogne-Liège

The retired pro and Astana team boss could face six months in jail over accusations that relate to his Monument win in 2010

(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Alexandre Vinokourov could face a prison sentence and a hefty fine after being accused of fixing Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The retired pro, now team boss at Astana, allegedly paid a rival €150,000 to let him win the 2010 edition of the race.

Vinokourov, 45, allegedly handed the sum to rider Alexandr Kolobnev, who finished second behind Vinokourov in the Monument, to stop him from competing for the victory, The Washington Post reports.

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On Tuesday (September 10), the prosecutor at a Criminal Court in Liège called for both Vinokourov and Kolobnev to be jailed for six months and fined €100,000 and €50,000 respectively,

Kolobnev, who raced for Katusha in 2010, should have €150,000 confiscated from his Swiss bank account, the prosecutor said.

Both riders have denied the accusations, and the court will announce its ruling on October 8.

Vinokourov is the winner of two additions of Liège, in 2005 and 2010, and also claimed the 2006 Vuelta a España.

He was banned for two years after testing positive for blood doping at the 2007 Tour de France.

Vinokourov then won the 2012 Olympic road race in London, announcing his retirement as he collected his medal.

Since leaving the professional peloton, the Kazakhstani returned to Astana, the team where he spent much of his career, as general manager.

Kolobnev, 38, rode for Katusha from 2010 until 2015 and retired the following year while riding for Russian team Gazprom-RusVelo.

Vinokourov continues to compete in sport at a high level, most recently becoming world champion for his age category in the Ironman 70.3 triathlon.

He took on the triple-discipline event on Sunday (September 8) in southern France, competing against the likes of British triathlon star Alistair Brownlee.

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Last October he competed in the full Iron Man World Championships in Hawaii in just over nine hours, seventh in his division and 201st overall.

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Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.  Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.