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Bahrain-Merida's Kanstantin Siutsou tests positive for EPOKanstantsin Siutsou (photo credit Bahrain-Merida).JPG

Bahrain-Merida's Kanstantin Siutsou tests positive for EPO

36-year-old who previously rode for Team Sky and HTC-High Road faces career-ending ban
by Simon_MacMichael
Wed, Sep 05, 2018 12:03
11

Bahrain-Merida rider Kanstantin Suitsou has tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition test on 31 July 2018.

The UCI said that the test “was planned and carried was the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation,” suggesting that the Belarus rider was specifically targeted.

His team greeted the news “with extreme disappointment” and said that “In accordance with our zero tolerance policy, the rider has been suspended immediately.” Siutsou has the right to request an analysis of his B-sample.

Should the 36-year receive a ban, it would almost certainly end a professional career that has spanned 17 seasons.

Siutsou joined Bahrain-Merida last year, following a season with Dimension Data. Previously, he had ridden for Team Sky for four years and was part of its Tour de France-winning line-up in 2012 and 2013.

Turning pro with Itera in 2001, he rode for teams including Fassa Bortolo and Barloworld, and moved to Team Sky following four seasons with HTC-High Road, with whom he won a stage of the Giro d’Italia in 2009, has biggest career win.

Bahrain-Merida general manager Brent Copeland said: “This news is terribly disappointing, we are very severe with any wrong doing with regards to our internal health code, this behaviour is not accepted by our team and further procedures will be taken against the rider.”

Bahrain-Merida
Kanstantin Siutsou
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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11 comments

Avatar
Organon | 5 years ago
1 like

Looks like he could do with a good moisturizer rather than PEDs.

Avatar
dreamlx10 | 5 years ago
1 like

He obviously didn't start taking epo until he left team sky 

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Rapha Nadal | 5 years ago
0 likes

But he's innocent, he'll do anything to clear his name, he's no idea as to how this substance got into his system etc etc etc.  Yawn.

Avatar
Marmarisboy | 5 years ago
3 likes

Too bad he’s no longer with Team Sky, if he’d requested an analysis of his “B” sample while there, he would have still been riding for at least another year!.

Avatar
Martyn_K replied to Marmarisboy | 5 years ago
3 likes

Marmarisboy wrote:

Too bad he’s no longer with Team Sky, if he’d requested an analysis of his “B” sample while there, he would have still been riding for at least another year!.

Must have taken you ages to think of that comment.

Avatar
Simon E | 5 years ago
0 likes

A pro since 2001. Hmmmm. I wonder how long he's been doping for.

And I also wonder how clear was Copeland's explanation to riders that EPO is "not accepted" by the team if riders still don't get the message.

Avatar
fenix replied to Simon E | 5 years ago
2 likes

Simon E wrote:

A pro since 2001. Hmmmm. I wonder how long he's been doping for.

And I also wonder how clear was Copeland's explanation to riders that EPO is "not accepted" by the team if riders still don't get the message.

 

You'll always get some bad apples.  Sounds to me like an ageing rider trying everything to keep in his job.  36 is pretty old for a pro cyclist. 

Avatar
Simon E replied to fenix | 5 years ago
2 likes

fenix wrote:

You'll always get some bad apples.  Sounds to me like an ageing rider trying everything to keep in his job.  36 is pretty old for a pro cyclist. 

Some unrepentant dopers great cyclists are still winning Vuelta stages at 38 years of age!

More seriously, Adam Hansen, (Mr. 20 GTs) is 37, Jens rode until he was 40 and there are other examples. But they are not typical and I'd agree that Kosta may have resorted (or returned) to using EPO.

To the haters: how many other ex-Sky riders have tested positive for EPO? Does his AAF mean that he doped while riding for Sky? It's lazy to pretend join up the dots and assume that he must have been doing it there too.

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don simon fbpe | 5 years ago
0 likes

Didn't know he was ex-Team SKY.

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alansmurphy | 5 years ago
2 likes

I like the prominence of Team Sky in your sub headline rather than Dimension Data...

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pastyfacepaddy replied to alansmurphy | 5 years ago
0 likes

alansmurphy wrote:

I like the prominence of Team Sky in your sub headline rather than Dimension Data...

My thoughts exactly. Obviously more confirmation that Team Sky are up to no good (sarcasm intended).

Expect it will be on the BBC sport website as 'Ex Sky rider tests positive for performance enhancng drugs' . LOL

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