Colom suspended for EPO positive

Team Katusha’s Antonio Colom has been provisionally suspended by the UCI following a positive test for recombinant EPO. The sport’s governing body announced Tuesday that Colom returned the positive test following an out-of-competition control on April 2, 209. He was targeted for additional controls using information from his blood profile and his race schedule, the UCI said.

Team director Serge Parsani was surprised at the news. “This is the first I heard of this. If it is on the UCI’s website at least they could inform the team,” he told Cyclingnews.

Colom is the second rider from the team to test positive. Austrian Christian Pfannberger was declared positive on May 6 this year. The UCI later confirmed that he was found positive for EPO.

Colom is allowed to request the counter-analysis of his B-sample, and his suspension will remain provisional until the Spanish Cycling Federation decides whether he has violated the anti-doping rules.

Paris – Nice 2009:Stage 8. Colom gets it !

Alberto Contador of Team Astana put forth his best effort to take back what he lost earlier, but in the end the day belonged to two other Spaniards. Antonio Colom of Katusha outsprinted Contador for the stage win and Luis Leon Sanchez came in 17 seconds later to cement his overall win.

“I owe this victory to my teammates, who helped me a lot,” Sanchez said. “I always remained calm and collected. I had a great morale throughout and this win is also theirs.”

He continued, “Everybody’s main objective in cycling, whether you’re a rider or a sponsor, is the Tour. In the team, we have riders who can win it. Today, I’m the Paris-Nice winner, but in July, I’ll become a teammate again, trying to help Oscar [Pereiro] or Alejandro [Valverde] win the Tour.”

The 25-year-old praised his friend and rival, Contador, calling him “a great rider, but his goal is also the Tour more than Paris-Nice. I’m glad this was my turn and today’s my day.”

A group of 25 riders got away at the 25km mark and built up a lead of 1:25, but were only able to stay in the lead for about 50 km.

Volta ao Algarve 2009: Stage 3. Colom takes the stage

Colom first

Team Astana’s Alberto Contador put on an impressive show Sunday in

Portugal’s Volta ao Algarve stage three finish up the Alto do Malhão. The triple Grand Tour winner finished second in a tight battle with ex-teammate and close friend Antonio Colom of team Katusha.

Mallorca Challenge 2009: Colom first in overall

Colom holds Mallorca trophey

Spaniard Antonio Colom of Team Katusha kept the lead to win the final general classification. It was Colom’s second overall victory at the Challenge Mallorca, having one once previously in 2004. Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia-Highroad) and Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step), respectively, finished at 35 seconds behind Colom in general classification.

Gerald Ciolek of Team Milram won the Trofeo Calvia on the final day of the Challenge Mallorca. The German, 22, out-sprinted Team Columbia-Highroad duo Edvald Boasson Hagen and Marcel Sieberg after 147.6 kilometres of racing. It was the team’s first win of 2009.

Mallorca Challenge 2009: Stage 4. Colom takes race and GC lead

Antonio Colom in Mallorca

Spaniard Antonio Colom (Team Katusha) won the penultimate stage of the Mallorca Challenge on Wednesday and charged into the overall lead.

Colom won the 143.3km stage around Bunyola in 3:54:49, 56 minutes ahead of Edvald Boasson (Team Columbia-High Road) and Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step).

Colom now leads Pineau by 41 seconds going into the finale, a 147.6km leg from Magaluf to Palmanova, with Boasson third in the same time.

Results

1 Antonio Colom (Spa) Katusha                  3.05.49
2 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Columbia - HR    0.56
3 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quick Step
4 Sylvian Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step
5 Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - Highroad

Antonio Colom about his future in Katusha

Colom: leave Astana for a big future in Katusha

After two very different seasons at Astana where the highlight was a stage win in 2007 Dauphine Libere and the lowest point was that season’s premature departure from the Tour de France, Toni Colom is hoping that a move to the new Katusha team will finally give him the chance to compete for major titles in his own right.

The Spanish climber, who has won Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in 2006, admits this could be his last chance of showing whether he’s got the ability to compete with the very best in some of the season’s biggest events. At Katusha Team he is set to share leadership duties with russian riders Vladimir Karpets and Evgeni Petrov, with all three set to ride at the Tour. Colom hopes to reach another peak of form at the Vuelta, where his target is to finish in the top 10 on GC.