Kashechkin proclaims innocence

Former Astana rider Andrey Kashechkin has broken his silence concerning his positive doping test from August, in an interview with L'Equipe. He continued to proclaim his innocence and announced, "I am ready to fight," he declared. "I have still not seen any official confirmation of my positive test."

"On August 1, two Belgian controllers looked me up in Turkey, where I was on vacation," said the Kazakh rider, who lives in Belgium. "I had the impression they were working chaotically. They had been hurried and seemed relived that it was over.

"The next day I started to have my doubts," he added. "The inspectors had every opportunity to make a mess of my sample."

The former Astana rider was found to be positive for a homologous blood transfusion, which was confirmed by the B test. "I have absolutely no possibility of proving my innocence," he said. "I want the UCI to listen to me, but everything is going on over my head. I have decided to take legal steps. That might be extreme, but it is my last chance."

He has filed a court case which charges the UCI with violating his privacy by releasing the information of his doping controls. "I hope that justice will be done," said Kashechkin. "If I were guilty, I would not continue to proclaim my innocence."