Astana team manager Alexander Vinokurov denied reports of a link between Jakub Fuglsang, Alexey Lutsenko, and exiled doctor Michele Ferrari, telling L'Equipe magazine that "the story does not stand up" and that it is " based on irrational rumors," he said.

Vinokurov is a former Ferrari client, but always insisted that he only received instruction from Italian doctors; he was banned for two years after being found to have doped blood in the 2007 Tour de France, but was banned from doping in the 2010 Liege-Bastogne-Liege and He won the 2012 London Olympics road race and was named general manager of the Astana team.

According to a detailed 2014 report in La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italian police in Padua discovered connections between many Astana riders and Dr. Ferrari, but Ferrari denied this and the team continued to secure its World Tour license.

The latest accusations against Dr. Ferrari and Astana came Sunday evening when the Danish news media outlet Politiken, the Danish television station DR, and the Norwegian newspaper VG published reports on the alleged connections between Fuglsang, Lusenko, and Ferrari It became clear. The allegations arose from an investigation commissioned by the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) last year.

The CADF report cited information that Ferrari participated in the 2019 Volta a Catalunya with Astana and met with both Fuglsang and Lutsenko that year. Furthermore, according to eyewitness accounts cited by Politiken, Ferrari was motor-pacing Fuglsang in Monaco.

If these allegations prove to be true, they would violate the WADA Code, specifically Article 2.10, which prohibits athletes from associating (including receiving training or other advice) with "athlete support persons" who are currently suspended.

On Monday, the Astana team said that it "does not work with questionable doctors like Dr. Michele Ferrari" and that "the Astana Pro Team's license has been renewed until 2020 and the team is fully compliant with all its obligations, including in terms of the fight against doping in cycling The team has confirmed that it is fully compliant with all its obligations, including in terms of the fight against doping in cycling," he emphasized.

Fuglsang and Lusenko also denied any relationship with Dr. Ferrari.

"I dispute that I met with Dr. Ferrari," Fuglsang wrote on Instagram. 'I am not aware of any report and can confirm that no proceedings have been initiated against me by the competent anti-doping authorities. Therefore, I have no case to answer. I am very concerned about these rumors being reported in the press."

The report was published by the National Anti-Doping Agency.

Lutsenko posted a similar statement on his Instagram account.

Vinokourov denied the reports in Politiken, VG, and DR.

"The story does not stand," Vinokourov told L'Equipe.

"Who could imagine that Michele Ferrari would come to Volta a Catalunya and pass unnoticed?"

"Also, why would he come to that race when neither Jacob nor Alexei are there?" all based on irrational rumors. We have not been contacted by the CADF and are obviously prepared to work with them and the UCI to find out the whole story."