With or without Manolo

"He won't let the team go without the Tour," Vinokourov said when asked what Saiz would do if he were issued an ultimatum by Tour de France organisers to step down in order for his now Astana-Wurth team to be allowed to compete.

Vino is racing the Dauphiné Libéré's second stage on Tuesday in the wake of Tour de France director general Jean-Marie Leblanc's warning that he was considering sanctions against teams involved in the ongoing Spanish blood doping scandal.

But Vino said he is not concerned with the Spanish mess, assuring Eurosport that he is solely focused on the Tour de France and that "there wasn't any proof whatsoever against [Saiz]."

Liberty Seguros withdrew sponsorship of the Saiz led team after his arrest in Madrid, and though Vino was quick to help his squad find a new sponsor in the Kazakh group Astana, he could see why Liberty came to the decision.

"I understand that a sponsor doesn't want any bad publicity, thought I thought it was done a little quickly, but that is their choice," Vino said. "I immediately called my Prime Minister and he was happy to quickly find a sponsor."

Vinokourov said he has received a massive amount of support from his countrymen, which was great motivation in his Tour de France bid.

"They're very proud, and I think that gives more motivation and energy to a rider to get the yellow jersey."

As for the possibility that Tour de France organisers might sanction his team, a move they said they couldn't do without the International Cycling Union (UCI) acting first, Vino called such talk mere speculation.

"Sometimes the newspapers jump quickly on things, but for the moment I'll stay calm and hope that the organisation of the Tour will take things with a cool head and they'll know the truth, and they'll look for the truth," Vino said. "I don't think that they won't let us take the start of the Tour without a single shred of evidence."

Vinokourov said he understood that it was essentially now or never for him to win the Grande Boucle.

"I don't have many years left to win the Tour," Vino admitted. "This year, maybe next year as well, but I am trying to stay completely concentrated on the Tour. It's always been my dream, and I'm going for it."

As for the Dauphiné, a race the Kazakh national champion won in 1999, Vino's ambitions are not as high, though he was looking to Saturday's mountain stage in the Alps and its three massive climbs, including the Col de la Croix de Fer and the uphill finish at La Toussuire.

"I'm not really 100 percent at the Dauphiné. I'm more here to test my legs and see my condition," Vino said. And to ride in the big mountains, especially on Saturday, because they could prove decisive stages at the Tour."