November 28, 2007 – Team Director, Johan Bruyneel, announced details of Astana’s anti-doping program yesterday, which will be overseen by Danish doctor Rasmus Damsgaard who developed CSC’s anti-doping program according to AFP. The program is expected to cost about 300,000 euros annually and will begin in January 2008 while Astana trains in Javea, Spain. Damsgaard will apparently have a “carte blanche” to operate the program as he best sees fit.

Team doping tests will be analyzed at laboratories accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). In addition to traditional doping tests, the samples will be verified for evidence of erythropoietin (EPO), growth hormones, and blood doping. Riders failing internal team doping tests will face the same consequences as riders failing UCI doping tests.

Team Astana had to pull out of the 2007 Tour de France after team leader Alexander Vinokourov tested positive for blood doping in stage 13. Two other team cyclists – Matthias Kessler and Andrey Kashechkin – also failed doping tests in 2007. Bruyneel comes to Astana from Discovery Channel which folded after being unable to find a sponsor for 2008.

To read the full story in French click here.