Russian squad encourages sprinter to cooperate
One day after the UCI announced that the Russian rider Denis Galimzyanov had provided a positive A sample for EPO, his Katusha team has confirmed that it has suspended him.
The rider was already sidelined by the UCI; the team’s move means that he won’t be part of any activities until the Russian Cycling Federation hears the case.
“On this occasion, the Katusha Team made a decision to suspend Denis Galimzyanov until a hearing panel convened by the RCF returns its verdict on this case,” it indicated in a statement.
“The Katusha Team officially states that any other team member is not involved in this incident. The rider takes his full personal responsibility.”
Galimzyanov is yet to comment on the matter. The squad has called for his full cooperation. “The Katusha Team strongly recommends the rider to provide a full assistance with authorized anti-doping bodies,” it added.
The 25 year old has ridden well this season, picking up runner-up on stages of the Tours of Qatar and Oman, then winning the opening stage of the Circuit Cycliste Sarthe.
Last season he stepped up a level on previous seasons, netting a number of victories inclucing Paris-Brussels and a stage plus the points classification in the Tour of Beijing.
If his B sample comes back positive, he is facing a ban of two years or more.
Galimzyanov’s positive is the second in nine months for the Katusha team. Alexandr Kolobnev also failed a test, a sample provided during the Tour de France showing up traces of hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic. He was given a minimal sanction by the Russian federation, then successfully fought a CAS case taken by the UCI which sought to impose a lengthy ban on him.
CAS accepted Kolobnev’s explanation that he has been suffering from varix dilatation, a chronic vascular disease, for the past 15 years, and that his personal doctor had prescribed a substance which was contaminated with the substance in question.
It ruled that he had not sought to obtain any performance enhancement.