Vinokourov junior (23) retired after horrible crash, but now gets a place alongside his father

Since retiring from professional cycling, Alexandre Vinokourov has served as general manager of Astana. With first Premier Tech and later XDS as co-sponsors, the Kazakh has kept the team afloat through challenging years. The project has even become something of a family operation, with both of his sons riding for the organisation. One of them has now stepped away from racing—but will stay within the team in a different role.

Alexandre Vinokourov Jr. raced for Astana’s development team from 2022 onwards, alongside his twin brother Nicolas. While Nicolas eventually earned a step up into the WorldTour squad, Alexandre did not make the same progression. After being hit by a car during training, he continued to suffer physically and mentally from the incident and ultimately announced his retirement in October.

But that doesn’t mean he is leaving the sport behind. The 23-year-old will remain with XDS Astana as a trainee directeur sportif. Rather than continue as a rider, he will learn the ropes of sports directing under the guidance of his father and Astana’s experienced staff. He could even become one of the youngest sports directors in the professional peloton.

“In recent seasons, Alex had several injuries, and the last one turned out to be very serious," Alexandr Shefer, head team manager at the team, said in a press statement. "Yes, he showed strong character and managed to come back, riding several races with the continental team, but his decision to end his career is completely understandable."

Vinokourov Jr. first took time to finish his studies before choosing to stay in cycling. "He now looks with optimism at a new role. The internship in both teams, WorldTour and continental, will allow him to gain the necessary experience, confidence, and understand how professional cycling works from the other side."

Shefer says the team is ready to support him fully. 'The transition from the bike saddle to the car’s front seat is never easy, any Sports Director will tell you that, so I hope that with proper diligence and determination, Alex will succeed." His twin brother Nicolas Vinokourov remains under contract with Astana through 2027, after completing the Vuelta a España earlier this season.