Alexandr Kolobnev

Alexandr Kolobnev

Kolobnev in 2011
Personal information
Full name Alexandr Vasilievich Kolobnev
Born (1981-05-04) 4 May 1981
Vyksa, Soviet Union
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 64 kg (141 lb)
Team information
Current team Gazprom–RusVelo
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Rider type Classics specialist[1]
Professional team(s)
2002 Acqua e Sapone–Cantina Tollo
2003–2004 Domina Vacanze
2005–2006 Rabobank
2007–2009 Team CSC
2010–2015 Team Katusha
2016– Gazprom–RusVelo
Major wins
Paris–Nice, 1 stage
Monte Paschi Eroica (2007)
National Road Race Championships (2004, 2010)
Infobox last updated on
21 March 2015

Alexandr Vasilievich Kolobnev (Russian: Александр Васильевич Колобнев;[2] born 4 May 1981) is a Russian professional road bicycle racer, who rides on the UCI World Tour with Team Katusha.[3] His major victories include winning the 2007 Monte Paschi Eroica, a stage of Paris–Nice and he is a two-time Russian National road Champion. In 2011, he was provisionally suspended after testing positive for a potential drug masking agent.[4][5] He was cleared of intentional doping by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February 2012,[6] and returned to Team Katusha in March 2012.[3]

Career

Born in Vyksa, Russian SFSR, Kolobnev spent his neo-pro year in 2002 with Acqua e Sapone–Cantina Tollo. His second season saw him sign with Domina Vacanze. There, he took his first victory in Stage 2 of the Settimana Ciclistica Coppi-Bartali. He stayed with Domina Vacanze through the 2004 season and signed with UCI ProTeam Rabobank. With Rabobank he managed to capture Stage 1 of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in 2006.

In 2007 he transferred to Team CSC. He won the third stage of Paris–Nice, became the inaugural winner of the Monte Paschi Eroica, now known as the Strade Bianche,[7] and finished second at the UCI Road World Championships. Kolobnev finished fourth in the road race at the 2008 Olympic Games. Second-place finisher and silver medalist Davide Rebellin later tested positive for Continuous erythropoietin receptor activator, causing the IOC to strip him of his silver medal. Though the UCI considers Kolobnev promoted to third in the race's standings, he has not, as of January 2010, been awarded a bronze medal.[8]

He lives in Dénia, Spain, with his wife Daria and two sons, David and Alexander.

In the 2011 Tour de France he tested positive for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, a masking agent that can hide the presence of performance-enhancing drugs. He was subsequently pulled from the tour by his team,[9][10] and his results for that stage were annulled.[11] Despite his B sample also testing positive he only received a fine from the Russian cycling federation.[12] However this was later appealed by the UCI to CAS, although he was subsequently cleared of any charges on 29 February 2012.[13] Kolobnev rejoined Team Katusha in March 2012.[3]

In 2012, the Union Cycliste Internationale initiated an investigation of Kolobnev and the Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov over allegations brought by the Swiss news magazine L’lllustre and Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. They accused Vinokourov of cutting a deal with Kolobnev in 2010 to aid him (Vinokourov) in winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège. They alleged 150 thousand euros exchanged hands. The UCI's investigation is still pending.[14]

Palmares

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Pink jersey Giro 21 71 WD
Yellow jersey Tour 65 WD
red jersey Vuelta 54 51 40 31 29 40

WD = Withdrew; In Progress = IP

References

  1. "Alexander Kolobnev". Team Katusha. Katusha Management SA. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  2. 1 (Sovetsky Sport), 2
  3. 1 2 3 "Alexander Kolobnev joins Katusha Team". Team Katusha (Katusha Management SA). 28 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  4. "Tour de France – First rider fails dope test, sacked". Eurosport (Yahoo!). Reuters. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
  5. Alexandr Kolobnev signs for Team Katusha
  6. Nigel Wynn. "Alexandr Kolobnev cleared of doping by CAS | Latest News". Cycling Weekly.
  7. Brown, Gregor. "Kolobnev becomes the first to conquer Eroica". Cycling News. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  8. Kolobnev Still Waiting For Olympic Bronze | Cyclingnews.com
  9. "Press release: Adverse Analytical Finding for Kolobnev". Union Cycliste Internationale. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
  10. "Kolobnev Tour de France's first doping case". Cycling News (Bath, UK: Future Publishing Limited). 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
  11. "Sanctions, Period of Ineligibily, Disqualification". UCI. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  12. "Kolobnev Not With Katusha In 2012". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  13. BBC Sport – Alexandr Kolobnev escapes doping ban but fined £1,040
  14. "Vinokourov summoned to UCI regarding his Liege-Bastogne-Liege victory". Tengrinews.kz English. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.

External links

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