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Katusha's Denis Galimzyanov provisionally suspended by UCI after testing positive for EPO

Positive test resulted from urine sample taken in out-of-competition test last month

World cycling's governing body, the UCI, has provisionally suspended Katusha sprinter Denis Galimzyanov after the sprinter tested positive for EPO following an out-of-competition test taken last month.

in a statement, the UCI said: "The decision to provisionally suspend this rider was made in response to a report from the WADA accredited laboratory in Cologne indicating an Adverse Analytical Finding of EPO in a urine sample collected from him in an out of competition test on 22 March 2012.

"The provisional suspension of Mr Galimzyanov remains in force until a hearing panel convened by the Russian Cycling Federation determines whether he has committed an anti-doping rule violation under Article 21 of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules." it continued.

"Mr Galimzyanov has the right to request and attend the analysis of his B sample" the UCI added.

Aged 25, Galimzyanov turned professional with Katusha in 2009, having spent the provious year with its Katusha Continental under-23 team, and his profile has steadily been rising since then.

Last year, the Russian finished second to Mark Cavendish in the Scheldeprijs, and secured victories in Paris-Brussels as well as stage victories in the Tour of Luxembourg, the Tour of Beijing and the Three Days of De Panne, also taking the points classification in the latter race.

His sole victory to date in 2012 came in the opening stage of the Circuit de la Sarthe earlier this month. He is currently recovering from injuries received in a crash towards the end of the following day's stage.

Galizmyanov is the second high-profile Katusha rider to have failed a doping control inside the last year. World championship and Olympic road race medallist Alexander Kolobnev was sacked by the team last summer after testing positive for hydrochlorothiazide during last July's Tour de France.

The Russian cycling federation fined the rider but did not impose a ban on him, accepting his excuse that the substance, which can be used as a masking agent for EPO, was contained in an over-the-counter medicine available in Russia that his doctor there had recommended him to use.

The UCI appealed that decision to the Court fo Arbitration for Sport but was unsuccessful, and last month Katusha confiirmed that it had agreed a new contract with Kolobnev.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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5 comments

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_SiD_ | 11 years ago
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It's a Show Trial in the great Russian tradition. Stalin's legacy lives on.

http://bicycling.com/blogs/thisjustin/2012/04/17/galimzyanov-admits-doping/

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arrieredupeleton | 11 years ago
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It's an eye-opening book. Thoroughly enjoyed it. It seems to me that the willingness of team management to turn a blind eye to doping practices is just as bad as directly facilitating them. If they are monitoring their riders biological passport data, they will know who's doping.

It seems standard fair for the guilty party to proclaim he was acting alone but it can't be too hard to join up the dots. If only the UCI were truly impartial - did you know the Itera Chairman and owner of Katusha, Igor Makarov is also a member of the Management Committee of the UCI? Denis will get a lenient ban due to his confession no doubt...

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notfastenough | 11 years ago
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Agreed. I'm near the end of David Millar's "Racing Through the Dark", and it makes this situation feel like I know what's happening behind the scenes.

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arrieredupeleton | 11 years ago
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Just read his 'confession' letter which is on Katusha's website. Is it me, or is he proclaiming just a little too loudly that no, Katashu had no part in this and it was just little old him, acting alone, by himself, without pressure from his very well financed but under-performing team? So, just to confirm, the team management, DS, doctors and soigneurs had absolutely nothing to do with him using EPO.

Thanks for clearing that up Denis, we believe you. You cheat.

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Gkam84 | 11 years ago
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No, thats one of the games "hidden" sprinters  20

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