Career
In 2011, he was provisionally suspended after testing positive for a potential drug masking agent. He was cleared of intentional doping by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February 2012, and returned to Team Katusha in March 2012. Born in Vyksa, Russian SFSR, Kolobnev spent his neo-pro year in 2002 with Acqua e Sapone–Cantina Tollo.
His second season saw him sign with Domina Vacanze.
There, he took his first victory in Stage 2 of the Settimana Ciclistica Coppi-Bartali. He stayed with Domina Vacanze through the 2004 season and signed with UCI ProTeam Rabobank.
With Rabobank he managed to capture Stage 1 of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in 2006. In 2007 he transferred to Team Civil Service Commission. Kolobnev finished fourth in the road race at the 2008 Olympic Games.
Second-place finisher and silver medalist Davide Rebellin later tested positive for Continuous erythropoietin receptor activator, causing the International Olympic Committee to strip him of his silver medal.
Though the UCI considers Kolobnev promoted to third in the race"s standings, he has not, as of January 2010, been awarded a bronze medal. In the 2011 Tour de France he tested positive for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, a masking agent that can hide the presence of performance-enhancing drugs. He was subsequently pulled from the tour by his team, and his results for that stage were annulled.
Despite his B sample also testing positive he only received a fine from the Russian cycling federation.
However this was later appealed by the UCI to Chemical Abstracts Service, although he was subsequently cleared of any charges on 29 February 2012. Kolobnev rejoined Team Katusha in March 2012.
In 2012, the Union Cycliste Internationale initiated an investigation of Kolobnev and the Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov over allegations brought by the Swiss news magazine L’lllustre and Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. They accused Vinokourov of cutting a deal with Kolobnev in 2010 to aid him (Vinokourov) in winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
They alleged 150 thousand euros exchanged hands.
The UCI"s investigation is still pending.
