Aleksandr Vasilyevich Kolobnev (born May 4, 1981, Vyksa, Nizhny Novgorod Region) is a Russian professional road racing cyclist and Honored Master of Sport of Russia. He is a bronze medalist at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and a two-time silver medalist at the World Championships. A native of Nizhny Novgorod Region, he competes under the sports registration of Tyumen Region.[1]
Early Career
Kolobnev took up sports at the age of ten: he started with football and sambo, then did biathlon, and switched to cycling in 1993. His first coach was Igor Lukyanov. He won the first two races he ever entered. In 1997, Aleksandr transferred to an Olympic reserve school in order to combine study with training. After success at the junior level, he joined the Agidel team and moved to Italy to train; in 1999 he made the senior Russian national team.[1]
In 2001, Kolobnev signed a contract with the Italian team Mapei, regularly finished in the top ten at international events, and took fourth place at the World Championships in the under-23 category. After moving to the team Aqua-Sapone (later renamed Domina Vacanze), he scored his first professional victory, at the Coppi–Bartali stage of the international cycling week in Italy. He later rode for Rabobank, and in 2009 he joined Katyusha.[1]
Major Achievements
At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Kolobnev finished fourth in the road race, but after the silver medalist was disqualified for doping, he was awarded the bronze medal.[1] At the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart and again in 2009 in Mendrisio, he won silver medals in the road races.[1] In 2012, he became the silver medalist at the Russian Championships (road race, Voronezh) and finished third at the Grand Prix of Montreal.[1]
In 2011, Kolobnev was caught using prohibited substances, but no disqualification followed: the rider paid a fine and missed a number of starts, and in 2012 he was cleared.[1]
For his sporting achievements he was awarded the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland," 2nd class. His personal coach is Viktor Silin.[1]
Later Seasons
In the 2013 season, riding for Katyusha, Kolobnev won the first stage of the Tour of Wallonia and took third place in the overall classification of the multi-day race. He also finished third at the Tre Valli Varesine. In 2014 he placed in the top ten twice on stages of the Tour de Suisse.[1] In 2016 he rode for the Gazprom–RusVelo team in races in Italy and the UAE.[2]
Nizhny Novgorod Connection
Aleksandr Kolobnev was born in Vyksa, a town in Nizhny Novgorod Region best known for the Vyksa Metallurgical Plant. It was there that he took his first steps in sport, under the guidance of coach Igor Lukyanov.[1]
Sources
- sbornayarossii.ru — Kolobnev
- rus.bike — Cyclist KOLOBNEV Alexander