Kazakh rider banned for two years after failing to confirm whereabouts

A Kazakh rider has been banned for two years after failing to confirm his whereabouts to anti-doping authorities.

Ilya Gorbushin has been sanctioned by the Kazakhstan anti-doping body without having tested positive for a banned substance.

The 20-year-old’s ban started on September 17 and will continue until September 15, 2020.

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The Kazakhstan National Anti-Doping Centre (KazNADC) gives the reason for the ban on its website as "whereabouts failure"

Gorbushin, a continental level rider, is signed to the Kazakh outfit Apple Team.

He rode for Astana City continental team in 2017 before moving to Apple.

Gorbushin’s best results include a mountain classification victory at the Giro della Lunigiana in Italy and 10^th place in the 2018 Kazakh national time trial championships.

He is the second Kazakh rider banned from the sport this year.

In July, Viktor Okishev was banned for eight years after testing positive for EPO out of competition.

Okishev has been pro since 2013, riding with Continental Team Astana, Keyi Look Cycling Team, and most recently Vino-Astana Motors, run by retired Kazakh cyclist and manager of the WorldTour Astana team Alexander Vinokourov.

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The 24-year-old Okishev tested positive on June 17 and was banned the following month – his suspension will end on June 30, 2026.

Last week, Portugese rider André Cardoso said he plans to raise funds to fight a four-year doping ban handed down by the UCI.

Cardoso, a former Trek-Segafredo rider, tested positive for EPO in an out of competition in June last year.

In a lengthy Facebook post, the Portuguese rider hit back at the announcement, maintaining is innocence and vowing to fight on.