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 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