UCI announces Astana organization’s fifth doping positive of 2014

Just a week after it was announced that Victor Okishev, a member of Astana’s Continental development team, failed a test for steroids during last May’s Asian championships, another Astana rider has also tested positive for steroids, making five in the organization in the latter half of 2014. Three Astana Continental riders and the Iglinskiy brothers of the WorldTour squad have had doping positives.

The UCI announced Wednesday that Artur Fedosseyev’s August 16 sample at the Tour de l’Ain contained
anabolic androgenic steroids. Besides Fedosseyev and Okishev from the Continental squad, Ilya Davidenok had an EPO positive in August 28’s sample at the Tour of Avenir.

Recently, reigning Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali expressed his anger at the organization’s doping positives to various media outlets, but Cyclingnews reported that the Shark of Messina told Gazzetta dello Sport that he is confident that the UCI’s Licence Commission will grant Astana WorldTour status.

Astana was kicked out of the 2007 Tour de France and not invited to the 2008 edition because of doping positives.

The team was not among the eleven WorldTour outfits that formed the Velon business group introduced to the cycling world on Monday..