The doping train continues to rumble relentlessly on and for the second time in a month it has rolled into the Kazakhstan Railways headquarters and another Astana Cycling Team member has emerged. This time it's Andrej Kashechkin who has tested positive to a homologous blood transfusion after a random blood test was taken on August 1.
The Astana website has made a statement saying :
Whereas the Astana Cycling Team makes great efforts to be rebuilt on new bases, the positive control of Kashechkin once more damages the credibility of the team. This new hard blow does nothing but reinforce the will of the Astana Cycling Team’s management to set up drastic measures for a clean cycling.
I've got a bit of a news flash for ya Astana, this is more than just damages your credibility. One positive you'd say it was a rider thing, two positives for exactly the same offence and you'd have to say it was a team thing. Astana are already under a self-imposed month long "break", this latest blow could just about destroy the team - and who better than a team like Slipstream with their aggressive anti-doping, anti-drugs stance to slip in and take their place?
A decision on whether the team will take their place in this year's Vuelta a Espana will be announced on Monday, but Vuelta race director Victor Cordero said Astana's chances didn't look good.
Interesting, I wrote your news flash almost word for word and edited it out in favour of my silly comments about running nude. Agreed that this team should just be put out of it’s misery and the license given (fast tracked) to Slipstream.
I also wrote about the un-democratic nature of the Kazakh government and it’s connection to Astana as far as doping and testing is concerned – saying that it was unlikely that a Kazakh would ever test positive as a result of a homegrown test. But I edited that out too.
Now Kash gets caught in Turkey….and he’s probably gonna blame the Turkish Delight and Bellydancing for the positive….he slipped and fell on the dancefloor.