Already facing a long period off the bike due to injury, the 2011 Paris-Brussels winner Denis Galimzyanov now risks a suspension of two years or more following the news that he has returned a positive A sample for EPO.
The UCI has announced that the Katusha rider was subjected to an out of competition test on March 22nd, and the analysis of that sample in the WADA accredited laboratory in Cologne has detected the banned substance.
The UCI has sidelined him from competition until such time as the Russian Cycling Federation holds a hearing and issues a ruling on the case. In the meantime, the rider has the right to attend the analysis of his B sample.
The 25 year old rider has been in strong form this year, netting second on stages of the Tours of Qatar and Oman, then winning the opening stage of the Circuit Cycliste Sarthe.
Already sidelined due to crash, says he's currently bedridden:
Galimzyanov’s victory in the French race put him in the leader’s jersey, but he crashed out the next day while racing towards the finish line.
The fall occurred inside the final ten kilometres of the second stage and led to his immediate withdrawal from the event.
He reportedly suffered bad kidney damage as a result of the impact. His team initially said that he would have to take a week’s rest, but his time off the bike has lengthened considerably due to the injury.
VeloNation contacted the team this weekend, seeking an update as to his condition.
“The last check on the scanner at a hospital in Belgium showed that day by day my condition is improving,” he stated in a message relayed via the team’s press officer. “Of course, these are just small improvements but anyway it is better than nothing.”
He added that he had returned to Russia from his base in Italy, and that he currently had to spend a lot of time in bed.
“Next week I will visit a clinic here in Ekaterinburg for three days, after which I will have an idea as to how long my recovery will take. Anyway, we can say about three months without a bike.”
Now, with today’s news about the EPO non-negative and his provisional suspension, the possibility is that he could face an even longer time away from competition.
The news is potentially awkward for the UCI as last autumn the rider won a stage plus the points classification in the Tour of Beijing, a new event run by its offshoot, Global Cycling Promotions. While that was several months before his positive test, the race's backers will now learn that one of the star riders from last year's event is under the microscope.
He also picked up stages in the Three Days of De Panne and the Tour of Luxembourg.