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Vinokourov to leave T-Mobile squad

Vinokourov makes a typical break in this year's Tour de France

LONDON, England -- Kazakh rider Alexandre Vinokourov has dropped a bombshell on his T-Mobile team by announcing that he will leave them at the end of the season.

"Alexandre wants the chance to try and win the Tour de France as a team captain," said team manager Olaf Ludwig on the T-Mobile website.

"We regret this decision, but we can fully comprehend his motives."

The team, currently racing in the Tour de France, is led by German Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner.

It's been a disappointing tour for the powerful German-based squad, with Ullrich currently lanquishing in fourth in the overall standings.

Ironically, it was Vinokourov who was shaping as the biggest challenger to the dominance of Lance Armstrong as the race entered the high mountains.

But the Kazakh suffered a disastrous day on the stage to Courchevel where Armstrong stamped his control on this year's race.

Vinokourov has since been granted free rein to attack and has been in several prominent breakaways, capped by a fine victory on the 11th stage.

Several leading teams will be keen to secure the services of Vinokourov, who is also an accomplished one day classics rider and won this year's Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

Before the Tour de France started Armstrong's Discovery Channel admitted they were interested in signing him.

T-Mobile suffered a further blow at the start of Wednesday's 17th stage as Andreas Kloden pulled out.

Kloden, runner up last year, had failed to live up to pre-race expectations and broke his wrist in a crash on Tuesday.

He was lying 11th overall, 12 minutes down on Armstrong.

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