The hammer of justice caught up to Ilkhan Dostiyev who will serve a four-year ban for doping. The 22-year-old Kazakh tested positive for use of CERA twice within three weeks both in and out of competitions.
Dostiyev had been one of the revelations of 2024 with 2nd overall at Tour of Rwanda (2.1), stage wins at international U23 races Orlen Nations GP and Valle d'Aosta, or overall triumph at Turul Romaniei (2.2).
Then a shock came when UCI provisionally suspended Dostiyev on September 12. According to reports, Dostiyev internally admitted to use of prohibited substances and the team fired the Kazakh climber just a day later.
"We trusted Ilkhan Dostiyev as one of the team’s leaders and we had great expectations for him, which are now completely shattered," said the development team sports director Alexandr Shushemoin when the news first broke out four months ago.
Prior to the upsetting news, it had been rumoured that Dostiyev, who had a seemingly breakthrough first half of 2024, would go on to turn pro with Astana Qazaqstan (now XDS Astana Team). Whether these was already a contract signed between the two parties, we'll never know.
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The full statement issued by UCI follows below:
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announces that Kazakh rider Ilkhan Dostiyev has been sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of four years following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for the presence of Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta (CERA)1 in two samples collected – as a result of intelligence-led testing – out-of-competition on 30 July 2024 and in-competition on 17 August 2024 during the Turul Romaniei (Tour of Romania).
In accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code) and the UCI Anti-Doping Rules (UCI ADR), the period of ineligibility started on 9 September 2024 and will remain in force until 8 September 2028.
The case has been resolved by way of an acceptance of consequences as provided for by the Code and the UCI ADR.
The UCI will not comment any further.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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