Igor Astarloa

Igor Astarloa Askasibar ( born March 29, 1976 in Ermua, Spain ) is a former Spanish cyclist.

Career

Astarloas biggest success was the surprising winning the world road championship in 2003 in Hamilton, Canada. In the same year he also won the Flèche Wallonne, where he could win a Spring Classic, the first Spaniard since 76 years. During this time he successfully ran for the team Saeco Macchine per Caffe. In 2004, he belonged as the current world champion of the favorites at the Olympic Games in Athens. But already at the start of the race he crashed heavily and had to abandon the race shortly thereafter. In January 2010 it was announced that Astarloa has given up his pro career.

Team

Astarloa was active in several top teams like Lampre, Mercatone Uno, Saeco and Cofidis. From 2005 he was one of only second-rate, starting in the UCI Europe Tour team Barloworld. Since 2007 he drove in the UCI ProTour for the team Milram - which, however, without appreciable success.

Doping suspicion

On 29 May 2008 it was announced that the team Milram has separated from Igor Astarloa. Reason were conspicuous blood values of the Spaniard, which suggested a doping violation. The team leader of Team Milram stressed, however, that no positive doping case was present. The driver took action against this decision.

On 17 June 2009, the UCI announced that against Igor Astarloa and four other drivers, because of abnormalities in their blood profiles, doping procedures were initiated.