German sprinting great Erik Zabel admits to doping
German sprinting great Erik Zabel has admitted to doping from 1996 to 2004.
Last Updated: 28/07/13 6:52pm
In an interview published on German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung's website on Sunday, Zabel - who won the Tour de France green jersey for the race's best sprinter six times - confirmed the findings of a French government report released earlier last week.
The report named Zabel has having taken EPO in the 1998 Tour de France and the German, now 43, confirmed he had in fact used illegal products and processes for years.
"EPO, cortisone and then even blood doping. It's really a lot," said Zabel.
"First and foremost I wanted to preserve my life, the dream life of a professional cyclist. I loved it so much, the discipline, the travel. Basically, my selfishness was the strongest (thing)," he said.
Zabel, fellow sprinter Mario Cipollini as well as known dopers and former Tour winners Marco Pantini and Jan Ullrich were amongst the cyclists accused in the report of using EPO in 1998.
Disgraced former seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong's samples from the 1999 Tour, the first one he won before later being stripped of all his titles, also tested positive for EPO.
Zabel actually tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid in 1994, right at the start of his career, but his punishment was a fine of 3,000 Swiss francs and no suspension.
