Returning after a blood doping sanction after the 2007 Tour de France and sidelined from the sport, Vinokourov began made 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: