Vladimir Gusev has won the case against his former team Astana in the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) this week. The court ordered the Kazakh team to pay the cyclist’s salary, damages, as well as the costs of the proceedings before the court.
The cyclist’s contract was terminated by Astana after internal doping tests, run by Danish anti-doping expert Rasmus Damsgaard, showed anomalies in the athlete’s blood profile. Gusev was also dropped by the Russian cycling squad just days after the news from Astana. It is not yet known whether Damsgaard will effected by the decision.
This comes at a bad time for the Astana team as they struggle with ongoing financial issues with their Kazakh sponsors. The team has just missed the deadline for a 6 million euro bank guarantee that was to be deposited in a UCI controlled account. This has brought the future of the team into question as they prepare for the upcoming Tour de France where Lance Armstrong will attempt an eighth victory in the event along side teammate and 2007 winner Alberto Contador.
For Gusev, this means he can now ride in next week’s Russian road championships, although the rider is currently without a contract. In a press release Gusev was positive on his return to professional cycling and said, “I’m more determined than before, cycling is my life and my passion.”