Cycling's international governing body the UCI has asked sport's highest court to prevent disgraced rider Alexandre Vinokourov from making a comeback before the next Tour de France.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland says the UCI has reopened an appeal case which seeks to keep Vinokourov off the road until mid-July.
The UCI believes the 35-year-old rider should have been banned for two years after being caught blood doping during the 2007 Tour - however the Kazakhstan cycling federation gave him just a one-year suspension.
The UCI filed an appeal with the court to overturn that ruling and impose the standard two-year ban recommended in the World Anti-Doping Agency Code but dropped the case after Vinokourov announced he was retiring.
However the appeal has been reactivated following reports Vinokourov plans to compete again.
