Vinokourov, banned for a year after doping at the 2007 Tour de France, told the Belgian TV program Sporza that he wanted to race again in 2009.
He said: 
I love cycling.
I want to come back because I didn't want to end my career in this way.
I feel as if I can win once again the big races.

The UCI then renewed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, asking it to overturn the one-year suspension by the Kazakh federation and to impose a standard two-year ban.
This appeal, originally filed in 2007, was dropped when Vinokourov said he was retiring.
The case was retabled and the CAS ruled the ban would expire on 24 July 2009.

Vinokourov made his comeback in Tour de l'Ain in August 2009, riding for Kazakhstan.
In the third stage, a time trial over 8.6 km, he won his first race after his ban.
Vinokourov re-joined Astana on 24 August 2009 and was named for the 2009 Vuelta a España.

Returning after a blood doping sanction after the 2007 Tour de France and sidelined from the sport, Vinokourov began made his first important race the 2010 Giro d'Italia.
He rode well in the early-season Tour of the Mediterranean, where he finished 5th overall, and served as a super-domestique for his Astana teammate Alberto Contador at the Critérium International.
He rode to victory in April at the opening time trial of the Giro del Trentino in Italy, where he took 35 seconds out of former Giro winner Ivan Basso in only 12.5 km.
He successfully defended his overall lead and won the event over fellow doper, Riccardo Riccò of the Ceramica Flaminia team.
It was his first major win since he returned to Astana the previous August, and an unusually-expressive Vinokourov shared his thoughts post-race:
It's a great satisfaction.
By winning the first stage against the clock I didn't think I would keep the jersey until the end.
I even thought not to ride this last stage because I would have driven to Liege if there was no plane.
Fortunately, the volcano in Iceland has subsided.
I have a flight tonight from Bergamo to Belgium.
It [the fact that he wouldn't have to drive] especially helped me to defend my jersey until the final.
Riccó is very strong and I feared him a lot with a uphill finish like today.
He arrived second and I went fourth just 12 seconds behind, which means that my legs were not bad either.

Because of his recent doping suspension, Vinokourov could not count on riding the 2010 Tour de France, but Giro organizers had no similar qualms about inviting him to their event.
He targeted a strong performance in the Italian grand tour, although he took pains to downplay his chances of overall victory:
I do not talk about winning [the Giro d'Italia], but I would certainly [aim to] wear the pink jersey for one day.
That would be nice for my collection.

With Contador's help, Vinokourov won the 2010 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, six seconds clear of breakaway companion Alexandr Kolobnev with Spain's Alejandro Valverde coming in third, more than a minute after the pair.
In December 2011, Swiss magazine L'Illustre ran a story about how Vinokourov had allegedly bought the victory.
It was revealed that Kolobnev (who was not on the same team) received a payment of 100,000 Euros after the race from a bank account owned by the Kazakh in Monaco to Kolobnev's bank account in Locarno.
The magazine published the e-mail exchange between the two, which started the day after the race.
In these, Kolobnev wonders if he had done the right thing by letting him win and shares a copy of his bank info, expressing concerns that they may get caught.
Vinokourov replied: "You have done everything properly, do not worry.
As you say, the Earth is round and God sees everything [...] Do not worry about the agreement, I will do it."
Vinokourov did not deny a payment was made, but said that he did not buy the race: "It's another story to blacken my name.
I often loan money left and right."
In 2015 investigators in Liege recommended that Vinokourov be tried for bribery.
A trial date was initially fixed for March 2017, but has been postponed and is slated to begin in May 2018.
On 12 Septem
Vinokourov, banned for a year after doping at the 2007 Tour de France, told the Belgian TV program Sporza that he wanted to race again in 2009. He said: 
I love cycling. I want to come back because I didn't want to end my career in this way. I feel as if I can win once again the big races.
The UCI then renewed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, asking it to overturn the one-year suspension by the Kazakh federation and to impose a standard two-year ban. This appeal, originally filed in 2007, was dropped when Vinokourov said he was retiring. The case was retabled and the CAS ruled the ban would expire on 24 July 2009.
Vinokourov made his comeback in Tour de l'Ain in August 2009, riding for Kazakhstan. In the third stage, a time trial over 8.6 km, he won his first race after his ban. Vinokourov re-joined Astana on 24 August 2009 and was named for the 2009 Vuelta a España.
Returning after a blood doping sanction after the 2007 Tour de France and sidelined from the sport, Vinokourov began made his first important race the 2010 Giro d'Italia. He rode well in the early-season Tour of the Mediterranean, where he finished 5th overall, and served as a super-domestique for his Astana teammate Alberto Contador at the Critérium International. He rode to victory in April at the opening time trial of the Giro del Trentino in Italy, where he took 35 seconds out of former Giro winner Ivan Basso in only 12.5 km. He successfully defended his overall lead and won the event over fellow doper, Riccardo Riccò of the Ceramica Flaminia team. It was his first major win since he returned to Astana the previous August, and an unusually-expressive Vinokourov shared his thoughts post-race:
It's a great satisfaction. By winning the first stage against the clock I didn't think I would keep the jersey until the end. I even thought not to ride this last stage because I would have driven to Liege if there was no plane. Fortunately, the volcano in Iceland has subsided. I have a flight tonight from Bergamo to Belgium. It [the fact that he wouldn't have to drive] especially helped me to defend my jersey until the final. Riccó is very strong and I feared him a lot with a uphill finish like today. He arrived second and I went fourth just 12 seconds behind, which means that my legs were not bad either.
Because of his recent doping suspension, Vinokourov could not count on riding the 2010 Tour de France, but Giro organizers had no similar qualms about inviting him to their event. He targeted a strong performance in the Italian grand tour, although he took pains to downplay his chances of overall victory:
I do not talk about winning [the Giro d'Italia], but I would certainly [aim to] wear the pink jersey for one day. That would be nice for my collection.
With Contador's help, Vinokourov won the 2010 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, six seconds clear of breakaway companion Alexandr Kolobnev with Spain's Alejandro Valverde coming in third, more than a minute after the pair. In December 2011, Swiss magazine L'Illustre ran a story about how Vinokourov had allegedly bought the victory. It was revealed that Kolobnev (who was not on the same team) received a payment of 100,000 Euros after the race from a bank account owned by the Kazakh in Monaco to Kolobnev's bank account in Locarno. The magazine published the e-mail exchange between the two, which started the day after the race. In these, Kolobnev wonders if he had done the right thing by letting him win and shares a copy of his bank info, expressing concerns that they may get caught. Vinokourov replied: "You have done everything properly, do not worry. As you say, the Earth is round and God sees everything [...] Do not worry about the agreement, I will do it." Vinokourov did not deny a payment was made, but said that he did not buy the race: "It's another story to blacken my name. I often loan money left and right." In 2015 investigators in Liege recommended that Vinokourov be tried for bribery. A trial date was initially fixed for March 2017, but has been postponed and is slated to begin in May 2018. On 12 Septem
Alexander Vinokourov