# Alexandr Kolobnev

Alexandr Vasilievich Kolobnev (Александр Васильевич Колобнев; born 4 May 1981) is a Russian former professional road bicycle racer. His major victories include winning the 2007 Monte Paschi Eroica, a stage of the 2007 Paris–Nice and he is a two-time winner of the Russian National Road Race Championships. In 2011, he was provisionally suspended after testing positive for a potential drug masking agent. He was cleared of intentional doping by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February 2012, and returned to Team Katusha in March 2012.

## Career

Born in Vyksa, Russian SFSR, Kolobnev spent his neo-pro year in 2002 with Acqua & Sapone–Cantina Tollo. His second season saw him sign with Domina Vacanze–Elitron. There, he took his first victory in Stage 2 of the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali. He stayed with Domina Vacanze through the 2004 season and signed with UCI ProTeam Rabobank for 2005. With Rabobank he managed to capture Stage 1 of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in 2006.
In 2007 he transferred to Team CSC. He won the third stage of Paris–Nice, became the inaugural winner of the Monte Paschi Eroica, now known as Strade Bianche, and finished second at the UCI Road World Championships. Kolobnev finished fourth in the road race at the 2008 Olympic Games. Second-place finisher Davide Rebellin later tested positive for Continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA), causing the IOC to strip him of his silver medal. Kolobnev was promoted to third in the race's standings by the UCI. However, he was not awarded the bronze medal until 2011.

## Controversies
### Exonerated doping test

In the 2011 Tour de France he tested positive for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, a masking agent that can hide the presence of performance-enhancing drugs. He was subsequently pulled from the tour by his team, and his results for that stage were annulled. Despite his B sample also testing positive he only received a fine from the Russian cycling federation. However this was later appealed by the UCI to CAS, although he was subsequently cleared of any charges on 29 February 2012. Kolobnev rejoined Team Katusha in March 2012.

### Acquitted on case 2010 Liège–Bastogne–Liège

In 2012, the Union Cycliste Internationale initiated an investigation of Kolobnev and the Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov over allegations brought by the Swiss news magazine L'lllustre and Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. They accused Vinokourov of cutting a deal with Kolobnev in 2010 to aid Vinokourov in winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège, alleging €150,000 exchanged hands. On 12 September 2019, prosecutors requested a six-month jail sentence for Kolobnev and Vinokourov, with an additional fine of €50,000 for Kolobnev, as well as €150,000 to be confiscated from his bank account. Kolobnev and Vinokourov were cleared on 5 November 2019, with the judge citing a "lack of concrete evidence" for the court's decision.

## Personal life

He lives in Dénia, Spain, with his wife Daria and two sons and one daughter, David, Alexander and Aprelia. He opened a hotel in Dénia which had several altitude simulation rooms, a permitted method to increase athletic performance.

## Major results
### 1999

    1st Overall Giro della Lunigiana

### 2001

    1st Gran Premio di Poggiana
    4th Road race, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships
    4th Gran Premio Industrie del Marmo

### 2002

    9th GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano

### 2003 (1 pro win)

    2nd Gran Premio di Lugano
    2nd Giro dell'Emilia
    4th Overall Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
       1st Stage 2
    4th Coppa Sabatini
    5th La Flèche Wallonne
    6th Trofeo Città di Castelfidardo

### 2004 (1)

    1st Road race, National Road Championships
    1st Young rider classification, Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
    2nd Gran Premio Nobili Rubinetterie
    7th Overall Brixia Tour
    8th Gran Premio di Lugano
    8th Trofeo Matteotti
    10th Road race, Olympic Games

### 2005

    2nd Overall Niedersachsen Rundfahrt
    7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    8th Overall Danmark Rundt

### 2006 (1)

    4th Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
       1st Stage 1
    5th Overall Tour de Pologne
    7th Overall Sachsen Tour
    9th Rund um den Henninger Turm

### 2007 (2)

    1st Monte Paschi Eroica
    1st Stage 3 Paris–Nice
    1st Stage 2 (TTT) Deutschland Tour
    2nd Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    5th Overall Tour de Wallonie
    9th Giro dell'Emilia

### 2008

    2nd Clásica de San Sebastián
    3rd Road race, Olympic Games
    3rd Giro dell'Emilia
    5th Klasika Primavera
    5th Coppa Sabatini
    6th Overall Tour de Wallonie

### 2009

    2nd Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    2nd GP Miguel Induráin
    3rd Overall Tour de Wallonie
    3rd Giro di Lombardia
    4th Overall Tour of Ireland
    6th Amstel Gold Race
    7th Giro dell'Emilia
    9th Overall Tour of Slovenia
    9th Clásica de Almería
    9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

### 2010 (1)

    1st Road race, National Road Championships
    2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    3rd GP Miguel Induráin
    4th Giro dell'Emilia
    7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

### 2011

    2nd GP Miguel Induráin
    5th Road race, National Road Championships
    5th Amstel Gold Race

### 2012

    2nd Road race, National Road Championships
    3rd Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
    4th Overall Tour de Pologne
    5th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
    9th Trofeo Melinda

### 2013 (1)

    3rd Overall Tour de Wallonie
       1st Stage 1
    3rd Tre Valli Varesine
    7th Strade Bianche
    9th Coppa Ugo Agostoni

### 2014

    7th GP Miguel Induráin
    10th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton

### 2016

    1st Mountains classification, Volta ao Algarve
    10th Overall Giro di Toscana

### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| Giro d'Italia | 21 | 71 | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 73 |
| Tour de France | — | — | — | — | — | 65 | DNF | — | — | — | — | — |
| Vuelta a España | 54 | — | 51 | 40 | 31 | 29 | — | — | — | 40 | — | — |

### Classics results timeline

| Monument | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| Milan–San Remo | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 46 | 51 | — | — | DNF | 73 | — |
| Tour of Flanders | — | — | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Paris–Roubaix | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | — | 44 | 39 | — | 60 | 45 | 44 | 9 | 2 | 11 | — | 75 | 33 | — | — |
| Giro di Lombardia | — | 56 | DNF | — | 23 | 11 | 13 | 3 | DNF | — | 14 | DNF | 13 | — | DNF |
| Classic | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| Strade Bianche | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 74 | — | — |
| Amstel Gold Race | DNF | 51 | 64 | — | — | 53 | 36 | 6 | 21 | 5 | — | 19 | 19 | — | — |
| La Flèche Wallonne | — | 5 | 59 | — | 29 | 53 | DNF | 21 | 74 | 81 | — | 96 | 48 | — | — |
| Clásica de San Sebastián | — | 61 | 101 | 33 | 19 | DNF | 2 | 15 | 45 | — | — | 21 | 11 | — | — |
| Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | — | — | 38 | 22 | — | — | — |
| Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | Race did not exist | — | — | 3 | 30 | — | — | — |
| Giro dell'Emilia | — | 2 | 11 | — | 12 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | DNF |

### Major championship results timeline

| | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| Olympic Games | Not held | Not held | 10 | Not held | Not held | Not held | 3 | Not held | Not held | Not held | 24 | Not held | Not held | Not held | — |
| World Championships | 153 | 49 | DNF | 7 | 26 | 2 | 44 | 2 | 7 | — | 28 | DNF | 46 | — | — |
| National Championships | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 9 | — | DNF |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |