The 30 year-old Kazkhstani rider will make his debut in the blue and pink Lampre-Farnese Vini jersey at the Brixia Tour stage race in Italy that begins on July 21. He is likely to be the team's leader for key races in August and for the Vuelta Espana after team manager Giuseppe Saronni secured extra sponsorship from the Spanish company AMPO.He is likely to ride the Vuelta with veteran sprinter Alessandro Petacchi, who has returned to form at the Tour de France, winning two stages in the opening five days.
Kashechkin finished third overall in the 2006 Vuelta when he raced with fellow Kazkhstani rider Alexandre Vinokourov at the Liberty Seguros team. The two rode for the Astana team at the 2007 Tour de France. Vinokourov tested positive for blood doping during the race and Kashechkin failed a blood test a few days later when he was tested out of competition while on holiday in Turkey. He appealed against the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but lost and served a two-year ban.
He was unable to find a team in 2009 after his ban and was snubbed by the Astana team. However he rode for Kazakhstan in the time trial at the world championships in Mendrisio.
Lampre-Farnese Vini signed Kashechkin after being given the all clear by the UCI.
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Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
