Even though the Kazakh Federation has suspended the operations of the Continential Team Astana, the Dutch Federation has decided to take its own actions. The Dutch talent team will not be allowed to do races against the Kazakh team after three of its riders have tested positive for doping.
The Dutch National Federation will not allow the Dutch talent team to participate in race that have the controversial Continental Team Astana on the start line after the Kazakh team has had three doping cases in a very short time. Ilya Davidenok Viktor Okishev and Artur Fedosseyev have all tested positive for anabolic steroids.
"We have seen enough of doping in recent years, now we need to pass to a better time," director Huib Kloosterhuis tells ANP.
Alexandre Vinokourov, team leader of the WorldTour Astana team, has emphasized that his team and the continental team are completely independent of each other. Kloosterhuis is uncertain about what to think of it.
"My impression is that it's a mess out there and that it is time to react," he said. "In the feeder teams we cannot accept to have riders that use forbidden substances. I think the self-cleaning capacity of cycling now has to do his job. From the cycling teams, the signal must be that we will not tolerate this. The National Federation can take the actions that we will not allow our talent team to do races where Astana will be at the start. If 10 teams do the same, I am sure that the organizers will not invite Astana."
The activities of the Continental Team Astana have already been suspended indefinitely.
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