The Astana Cycling Team management has terminated their contract with Russian cyclist Vladimir Gusev due to irregular test values. The values were gathered during internal out-of-competition control tests under the supervision of Danish anti-doping expert Dr. Rasmus Damsgaard.  The team has applied the contractual clauses based on these physiological and biological abnormalities.
 
“Vladimir Gusev has been officially notified that he no longer represents Team Astana”, said General Manager Johan Bruyneel. “Though his results do not indicate the use of forbidden substances, Vladimir’s values exceeded the normal parameters established by Dr. Damsgaard and were not compliant with the strict agreement signed by all thirty riders. Our Kazakh sponsors have also been made aware of this decision and are fully supportive.”
 
Bruyneel further commented: ”It’s impossible for any team manager to know the activities of riders behind closed doors, but we continue to enforce that Team Astana has a 100% no tolerance policy and any violators will serve the same fate as Vladimir.  On a brighter note, this proves that Dr. Damsgaard’s system works and we are committed to racing clean.”
 
Under Dr. Damsgaard’s anti-doping system, Team Astana riders are frequently required to submit blood and urine samples, which are then sent to independent labs for analysis.  This system, also instituted by Team CSC-Saxo Bank, is in addition to any sport or Olympic governing body’s tests.  “Certainly these situations are unfortunate, but I truly believe that we are continuing to see a cleaner sport with a large majority of credible riders. Teams like Astana and CSC-Saxo Bank have shown their full commitment to my program and I, in return, have committed all my resources to their firm anti-doping stance”, said Dr. Damsgaard.
 
Vladimir Gusev’s release is effective immediately and he is free to seek employment with another team or company.

Due to the respect and privacy of the rider involved, the team will not release any further information at this time.