The anti-doping investigators behind a leaked report have released a statement over allegations that two Astana riders had met with Dr Michele Ferrari.
A document compiled by the Cycling Anti-Doping Federation (CADF) claimed that Danish rider Jakob Fuglsang had been training with the disgraced doping doctor.
The leaked report, obtained by Danish media, also alleged that Ferrari had been present at the 2019 Volta a Catalunya with Astana, and that Fuglsang and his team-mate Alexey Lutsenko had met with the Italian physician in Monaco.
In a statement responding to the leak, the CADF says it will not be pursuing disciplinary charges against any of the figures involved and will be investigating how the document was made public.
The anti-doping organisation said: “The CADF deeply regrets that the report was leaked, and an inquiry is being conducted to understand how the file was made public and prevent this from happening again.
“Finally, the CADF confirms that after careful review of the elements available, it has not submitted the report to the UCI for the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the individuals or team in question.
“The CADF will not be making any further comment on the matter.”
Ferrari is famed for working with high profile cycling figures, including Lance Armstrong and Alexandre Vinokourov, before he was banned from sport for life for doping athletes in 2012.
Vinokourov, the former pro who served a two-year ban for blood doping in 2007, is now general manager of Astana.
According to the CADF, the investigation into Fuglsang was sparked after the organisation received information of an alleged anti-doping rule violation.
The CADF, an independent non-profit organisation that runs the UCI's anti-doping programme, then hired data company Sportradar to investigate the allegations in order to complete CADF files.
Sportradar compiled a report which was then shared in "strict confidentiality" with select anti-doping and law enforcement agencies.
The CADF said it treated the document with “extreme care” and that it did not share the report with any third party, including the media.
News of the leaked report emerged on Sunday night (February 2), with Astana releasing a statement the following day.
The Kazakhstani team denied having any association with any “suspicious doctors” including Ferrari and stated that their riders are forbidden from consulting with outside doctors about their performance.
The reports also prompted a response from Ferrari himself, who called the reports a “media hoax” and denied any involvement with any athletes or the team.
Jakob Fuglsang and Alexey Lutsenko also responded to the allegations with matching statements shared on Instagram, with both riders saying they had not met with the doctor, no disciplinary action had been brought against them and that they were concerned about the spread of the stories in the media.
