The 33-year-old tested positive for the growth hormone GHRP-2 in a test conducted on May 31, with her Astana Women's Team distancing themselves from the cyclist after the positive was confirmed.

“Astana Women's Team receives the news with obvious disappointment, but also with relief for having put an end to the working relationship with the athlete several weeks ago,” a statement from the team read.

“Exactly one week before the test at issue, on May 24th, the team sent to Antoshina a letter asking her to find an agreement for the mutual termination of contract.

“The reason is that the cyclist never actually integrated herself into the team, appearing from the very beginning a foreign object to it.

"She didn't participate in the training camp in February in Sardinia, then presented herself in poor condition at the first races, and during the first months of the season there were problems in its management regarding to her schedule and technical material.

“The fourth and final race of Antoshina wearing Astana Women's Team jersey was the Gracia Orlova, finished on May 1st.”

The Astana Women’s team have also claimed that they had removed Antoshina from their teams for the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, Giro del Trentino and the Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminine, with the Russian having only represented them at four races during her contract, which began at the end of last year.

They have stated that the Russian cyclist, twice a national road race champion, will be fired as a result of the positive test.

The suspension will rule Antoshina out of competing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, having finished 12th in the time trial at London 2012, as well as 25th in the road race.

Olga Zabelinskaya is the sole female Russian rider for road events at Rio 2016, with the cyclist having accepted an 18-month suspension earlier this year.

With her failed test for the banned weight loss stimulant octopamine coming back in March 2014, the period of ineligibility expired in September 2015.

Zabelinskaya was the sole Russian cycling medallist at the Games, earning bronze in both the women’s road race and time trials.

She will be joined by men’s road race participants Sergei Chernetskiy, Pavel Kochetkov and Ilnur Zakarin, with the latter having previously served a two-year doping ban between 2009 and 2011

Last month, Ekaterina Gnidenko was revealed by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as the only cyclist to test positive in the London 2012 retests, with the Russian track rider having tested positive for anabolic androgenic steroids at the Games.