By Duncan Mackay

London 2012 gold medallist Alexander will lead a mass bike ride in support of Almaty 2022 ©AFP/Getty ImagesLondon 2012 gold medallist Alexander Vinokurov is to lead a mass bike ride tomorrow in support of Almaty's bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.


The Olympic road race champion will be at the head of the event, due to start at 8am near the Sunkar International Ski Jumping Complex, which will be one of Almaty's venues if they are awarded the Games.

Almaty 2022 officials hope that the presence of Vinokurov, whose victory at London 2012 was one of the biggest shocks of the Games, will attract a big crowd to help boost their bid.

The International Olympic Committee's ruling Executive Board are due to select their shortlist of cities for the next stage of the 2022 campaign at their next meeting in Lausanne on July 7, with Beijing, Lviv and Oslo.

Almaty Central Stadium, which will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies if the Kazakhstan city is awarded the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, will be the finishing point for the mass bike ride led by Alexander Vinokurov ©WikipediaAlmaty Central Stadium, which will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies if the Kazakhstan city is awarded the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, will be the finishing point for the mass bike ride led by Alexander Vinokurov ©Wikipedia

Vinokurov, who also won an Olympic silver medal at Sydney 2000 before his career was interrupted by a two-years drugs ban after he was caught blood doping at the 2007 Tour de France, is now the general manager  of International Cycling Union ProTeam Astana.

Among riders joining him in tomorrow's event will be Astana rider Fabio Aru, who finished thrid in last month's Giro d'Italia, and several Kazakhstani Paralympians.

The ride is due to finish at the Almaty Central Stadium, home of Kazakhstan's national football team and which will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies if they are awarded the 2022 Olympics and Paralympics.

Afterwards a concert featuring several of Kazakhstan's artists will be held in the Stadium.

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