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Paris - Veteran rider Alexandre Vinokourov will lead the Astana team into the Tour de France with Slovenia's Janez Brajkovic expected to push for honours in the overall standings.
Vinokourov, 38, will be racing in the Tour for the last time having fallen and suffered a thigh fracture in 2011, but he believes he can still clinch a stage on the gruelling race which begins in Liege on June 30.
"After my sad experience of last year, I am going to the Tour with the aim of winning a stage, in the Pyrenees I hope," said Vinokourov.
"I also want to help 'Jani' in the general classification."
Team manager Giuseppe Martinelli had nothing but praise for Vinokourov.
"He is our charismatic leader. We are looking towards the general classification but we know we are not favourites. Brajkovic will be our man but I don't want to set him a fixed objective."
Astana team:
Jani Brajkovic (SLO), Borut Bozic (SLO), Dmitry Fofonov (KAZ), Andriy Grivko (UKR), Maxim Iglinskiy (KAZ), Andrey Kashechkin (KAZ), Fredrik Kessiakoff (SWE), Robert Kiserlovski (CRO), Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ)
Vinokourov, 38, will be racing in the Tour for the last time having fallen and suffered a thigh fracture in 2011, but he believes he can still clinch a stage on the gruelling race which begins in Liege on June 30.
"After my sad experience of last year, I am going to the Tour with the aim of winning a stage, in the Pyrenees I hope," said Vinokourov.
"I also want to help 'Jani' in the general classification."
Team manager Giuseppe Martinelli had nothing but praise for Vinokourov.
"He is our charismatic leader. We are looking towards the general classification but we know we are not favourites. Brajkovic will be our man but I don't want to set him a fixed objective."
Astana team:
Jani Brajkovic (SLO), Borut Bozic (SLO), Dmitry Fofonov (KAZ), Andriy Grivko (UKR), Maxim Iglinskiy (KAZ), Andrey Kashechkin (KAZ), Fredrik Kessiakoff (SWE), Robert Kiserlovski (CRO), Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ)
