Alexandr Kolobnev
Quick Facts
Biography
Alexandr Vasilievich Kolobnev (Russian: Александр Васильевич Колобнев; born 4 May 1981) is a Russian professional road bicycle racer, who rides on the UCI World Tour with Team Katusha–Alpecin. 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. He was cleared of intentional doping by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February 2012, and returned to Team Katusha in March 2012.
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, 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.
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, and his results for that stage were annulled. Despite his B sample also testing positive he only received a fine from the Russian cycling federation. However this was later appealed by the UCI to CAS, although he was subsequently cleared of any charges on 29 February 2012. Kolobnev rejoined Team Katusha in March 2012.
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.
Career achievements
Major results
- 2003
- 1st Stage 2 Settimana internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
- 2nd Giro dell'Emilia
- 2004
- 1st National Road Race Championships
- 1st Best Young Rider Settimana internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
- 10th Olympic Men's road race
- 2005
- 7th World Road Race Championships
- 2006
- 1st Stage 1 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 2007
- 1st Monte Paschi Eroica
- 1st Stage 3 Paris–Nice
- 1st Stage 2 TTT Deutschland Tour
- 2nd World Road Race Championships
- 2008
- 2nd Clásica de San Sebastián
- 3rd Giro dell'Emilia
- 3rd Olympic Road Race
- 2009
- 2nd World Road Race Championships
- 2nd GP Miguel Indurain
- 3rd Giro di Lombardia
- 3rd Overall Tour de Wallonie
- 4th Overall Tour of Ireland
- 6th Amstel Gold Race
- 9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 2010
- 1st National Road Race Championships
- 2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 3rd GP Miguel Indurain
- 4th Giro dell'Emilia
- 7th World Road Race Championships
- 2011
- 2nd GP Miguel Indurain
- 5th Amstel Gold Race
- 2012
- 3rd Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 4th Overall Tour de Pologne
- 2013
- 3rd Overall Tour de Wallonie
- 1st Stage 1
- 3rd Tre Valli Varesine
- 7th Strade Bianche
- 9th Coppa Ugo Agostoni
- 2014
- 7th GP Miguel Indurain
- 10th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
- 2016
- 1st Mountains Classification, Volta ao Algarve
- 10th Overall Giro di Toscana
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Grand Tour | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giro | 21 | 71 | WD | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 73 |
Tour | — | — | — | — | — | 65 | WD | — | — | — | — | — |
Vuelta | 54 | — | 51 | 40 | 31 | 29 | — | — | — | 40 | — | — |
WD = Withdrew; In Progress = IP