Alexandre Vinokourov is taking legal action against Swiss magazine L'Illustre over a report claiming he bribed a fellow cyclist in order to win the 2010 Liege-Bastogne-Liege race, his Astana team announced in a statement earlier today.

The rider from Kazakhstan, who retired this year before changing his mind, was accused of paying 100,000 euros (US$134,000) in a bribe to win the prestigious classic.

Astana, which said earlier in the week that the 38-year-old's email account had been hacked, announced Vinokourov would be filing a claim against the magazine for defamation.

"I can't accept that gossiping about me," Vinokourov said in the statement.

"Behind this case, there are certainly people who want my skin. It's weird that it happened a few days after the announcement of my candidacy in the upcoming (parliamentary) elections in my country."

Vinokourov, one of pro road cycling's most imposing figures, was banned for two years after testing positive for blood doping at the 2007 Tour de France.

Winner of the Vuelta a Espana in 2006, Vinokourov announced his retirement after breaking his leg in a downhill crash during this year's Tour de France, but had a change of heart and returned to competition in October.