Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali wants to send a message that there is “no space” for doping in the world of cycling after three of his Astana team-mates were found to have failed drug tests over the past two months.
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Brothers Maxim and Valentin Iglinskiy failed tests for EPO while fellow Kazakh Ilya Davidenok tested positive for steroids, which has placed the Astana team under review from the UCI, world cycling’s governing body.
Maxim was part of the nine-strong Astana squad that helped Nibali pedal to the Tour de France title last July and the Italian was in shock and rage when he heard the news about his team-mate.
Speaking at the unveiling of the new 2015 Dubai Tour route in the UAE yesterday, Nibali insists there is zero tolerance for doping in his team.
“The message is that there is no space at all (for doping) and of course my team, Astana, is now taking a clear stand against doping, and all the precautions just to show even more that we are clean,” Nibali told Sport360°.
“Of course there are a lot of controls nowadays… and we are showing it because the people who cheat are found out. But again, there is no space for doping.”
Astana’s doping problems have not discouraged Nibali from planning his attack on the new season, which he confirmed he will be kicking off in Dubai.
Nibali, who is currently in the city on holiday, is one of only six riders to achieve the Grand Tour triple crown, having claimed the Vuelta a Espana title in 2010, the Giro d’Italia last year and the Tour de France this year.
The 29-year-old shed some serious doubt on his participation in the 2015 Giro d’Italia, predicting his team will be backing a different rider, but said he will be lining up for the Tour de France, where he’ll attempt to defend his title.
Asked whether his motivation has waned after achieving the triple crowd, Nibali said: “No my motivation is not decreasing at all. I want to be there year after year and try to compete as much as I can.”