Alexandre Vinokourov retires at age 23 after training crash

Alexandre Vinokourov has announced his retirement from cycling at the age of just 23. The son of the 2012 Olympic champion of the same name made the announcement after completing the Tour de Langkawi at the weekend.

In a post on social media, Vinokourov explained that he had decided to end his career after suffering a training crash in Greece in March. He sustained a fracture to his right femoral neck in the crash, which was caused when he was struck by a car.

Although the XDS-Astana Development Team rider returned to action at the Giro della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia last month, he declared that the Tour de Langkawi had been his “last dance.” Vinokourov helped his twin brother Nicolas to fourth overall in the event in Malaysia.

“7 months since my crash, I raced, trained with fear and pain,” Vinokourov wrote. “I’m blessed and proud to have helped the team achieve 4 wins and P4 in GC in my last race as a rider… Thanks to all the people who were there in this chapter and see you soon in the next one.”

His father, Alexandre Vinokourov was among those to pay tribute to him on the end of his short professional career. “I’m proud of you, my son,” he wrote. “You still have a great future ahead of you, and a new chapter! You’re doing very well. It's a great school, and you've gained a lot of experience.”

Twin brothers Alexandre and Nicolas Vinokourov joined the Astana Qazaqstan Development Team in 2022. Nicolas Vinokourov was promoted to the WorldTour squad in 2024, and he has lined out at the past two editions of the Vuelta a España.

XDS-Astana look set to retain their WorldTour status for 2026 after the team retooled and focused on scoring points in smaller races from the beginning of this season. The squad has yet to announce reinforcements for next year, but Sergio Higuita, Alberto Bettiol and Christian Scaroni will all remain on the roster.