Team Katusha Archives - Page 2 of 2

It seems like only yesterday that Team Katusha were proudly declaring the first ever all-Russian Tour de France squad � headlines today make for rather less grandstanding reading as it�s announced that their rider Alexandr Kolobnev has had his �B� sample tested positive for a banned substance; making him the first rider in this year�s event to fail a drugs test.

Kolobnev spent his early days with Acqua & Sapone-Cantina Tollo before a stint with both Rabobank and Team Saxo Bank, taking Stage 3 of Paris�Nice and hitting second at the UCI Road World Championships, along with a host of other two-wheeled successes including Olympic bronze in 2008. Those glory days could be behind the 30-year-old now; on July 11 a UCI statement read �Earlier today, the UCI advised the Russian rider Alexandr Kolobnev of an Adverse Analytical Finding (presence of Hydrochlorothiazide based on the report from the WADA accredited laboratory in Ch�tenay-Malabry) in the urine sample collected from him at an in competition test at the Tour de France on 6 July 2011.�

With his second (�B�) sample also having tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide � a diuretic banned as it can mask the presence of other performance enhancing substances � his team have announced his immediate suspension. If ultimately found guilty of doping, he will, in all likelihood, face a two-year ban.

Team Katusha have made something of a surprise announcement with the news that they will be racing a 100% Russian field at this year’s Tour de France which starts on Saturday July 2. This marks the first time in the race’s history that this has happened and means that neither Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez (eighth in the 2010 Tour) nor Italy’s Filipppo Pozzato will be taking to the saddle for their team.

Team Manager Andrei Tchmil (himself a five-times Tour participant) explains, “Being at the Tour de France is always something to be proud of. But being there with an 100% Russian team represents, in the sporting point of view, an historical event.� Although Tchmil readily agrees that the decision will put the squad �under the spotlight�, his approach remains predictably aggressive: �The main goal, as always, is to be protagonist. Our performance, when we�ll cut the finishing line in Champs Elysees, won�t be judged by wins, but instead by the courage and the commitment we put in every single stage”.

The Team Katusha�s Tour de France 2011 squad is: Pavel Brutt, Denis Galimzyanov, Vladimir Gusev, Mikhail Ignatyev, Vladimir Isaychev, Vladimir Karpets, Alexander Kolobnev, Egor Silin, Yuriy Trofimov. Sport Directors: Dmitriy Konychev, Gennady Mikhailov, Bart Leysen.