CAS sets date for UCI appeal in Alexander Kolobnev Tour de France doping case

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has set a date of 7 February 2012 to hear the UCI’s appeal against the decision of the Russian cycling federation, the FVSR, not to ban former Katusha rider Alexander Kolobnev as a result of his positive test for hydrochlorothiazide during last July’s Tour de France.

The 30-year-old was the only rider to fail a doping control during the race, testing positive from a sample taken on the day of Stage 5 from Carhaix to Cap Frehel.

While the diuretic is not itself a performance-enhancing substance, it can be used as a masking agent and is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances.

Kolobnev maintains that it was present in his body innocently, but the FVSR fined him 1,500 Swiss Francs, equivalent to a little over £1,000, and gave him a warning as to his future conduct.

However, it stopped short of banning the rider who has twice finished runner-up in the world championship road race, and it is likely that the UCI will press for CAS to impose a two-year ban on Kolobnev.