www.cyclingnews.com - the world centre of cycling http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=features/2009/freiburg_repo...

Cyclingnews TV News Tech Features Road MTB BMX Cyclo-cross Track Photos Fitness Letters Search Forum

Recent News
January 2009
February 2009 News Feature, May 14, 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009 Freiburg report details cycling's dark side
June 2009
July 2008 The findings of an independent commission have broken new ground on systemic
August 2008
doping on one of the sport's most successful teams. It has been revealed that two
September 2008
October 2008 doctors from the Freiburg University Clinic ran an organised doping programme for
November 2008 the enormously successful German Telekom/T-mobile squad from 1995 to 2006.
December 2008 Cyclingnews' Susan Westemeyer reports.
2007 & earlier
A 63-page report issued by the commission this week lays out in
Recently on
detail the role played by Dr. Andreas Schmid and Dr. Lothar
Cyclingnews.com
Heinrich in doping practices over the course of 10 years, which
riders were involved, plus the doping products and methods used.

The issue returned to prominence last fall, when Patrik Sinkewitz

said that he - and possibly others - had driven to Freiburg for illegal
blood transfusions during the 2006 Tour de France, only days after
team captain Jan Ullrich had been suspended for his connection to
Operación Puerto.
Mont Ventoux
Photo ©: Sirotti The report found that doping within the team essentially began
when the team was formed and continued relatively unabated
through to 2006. Blood doping boosts available oxygen
Photo ©: AFP
The Beginning

According to the report, doping at Team Telekom began in 1992 when the team hired soigneur Jef d'Hont,
"known for his magic drink", a combination of drugs mixed in cola. Schmid, who began working for the
team in 1988, manipulated the ingredients of this 'elixir' in conjunction with d'Hont.

The Belgian soigneur's book, "Memoires van een wieler-verzorger" ("Memories of a Soigneur") released
in the same year Riis et al confessed their misdemeanours, outlines some of the practices undertaken
during this time.

EPO first appeared in the team in 1993, with Schmid serving as the intermediary between those who sold
the drug and d'Hont. But the report found that, "systematic EPO doping at Team Telekom under medical
direction began at the training camp on Mallorca in January 1995." Both Schmid and Heinrich attended
this camp, and over the course of the season riders were injected by either of the two doctors, soigneurs or
themselves, out-of-competition

D'Hont left the team in 1996, at which point supply of doping products was conducted directly between
the doctors and riders. Team members would call, email or SMS the doctors and shortly after received
packages by mail, courier or directly at races. They were expected to pay in cash.

Doping continued from 1996 to 2001, unabated in the face of

the Festina affair which disgraced the 1998 Tour de France.
Doping continued from
1996 to 2001, unabated In light of the scandal in 1998, team sponsor Deutsche Telekom
in the face of the Festina established an anti-doping programme, but it was largely
affair which disgraced the ignored. "While the official announcement of the fight against
1998 Tour de France doping was announced, doping with EPO and growth hormones
continued at Team Telekom under the responsibility of the
- The Freiburg clinic continued to dope riders in the
face of multiple scandals outside the team, the
Freiburger doctors," the report noted.
commission found.
The commission was not able to provide any details as to doping
practices from 2001 to 2005. Since the statute of limitations is
currently eight years for doping offences, interviewed riders or team members did not give any information
for this period. The commission saw no reason to assume that doping did not take place during this period,
despite a lack of proof otherwise.

The main doping products used in these times were EPO, growth hormones and cortisone. An unnamed
rider, who was with the team for at least the 2003 and 2004 seasons, testified that the full range of
products was used in those two years.

But not all riders were affected. Newcomers or "outsiders" were not welcome. After winning two Olympic
gold medals in 2000, track star Robert Bartko was given a contract, apparently at the insistence of the
sponsor, but against the team management's wishes. He described himself as an "unwanted child" who had
no contact with the doctors, received no training plans, and was gotten rid of as soon as possible.

The bitter taste of blood

In the fall of 2005, Patrik Sinkewitz signed a contract with the team and had his
first contact with Heinrich that fall. He started blood doping with Heinrich in
January 2006; blood was taken or restored approximately once a month.

The most notorious of those transfusions took place on Sunday, July 2, 2006.
Sinkewitz's girlfriend at the time drove him from the team hotel in Strasbourg,
France, to the clinic in Freiburg, Germany, for a blood transfusion. Only the day
before the Tour started, Jan Ullrich, Oscar Sevilla and directeur sportif Rudy Patrik Sinkewitz did not
receive warnings
Pevenage had been suspended from the team for their involvement with with Dr. Photo ©: AFP

1 of 3 27/07/2010 06:35
www.cyclingnews.com - the world centre of cycling http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=features/2009/freiburg_repo...

Eufemiano Fuentes as the fallout from Operaciòn Puerto muddied the waters of the Tour de France.

The report notes that Sinkewitz gave various accounts of this episode, often claiming to have been the only
rider involved. However, at risk of prosecution for perjury, he stated that teammates Andreas Klöden and
Matthias Kessler were also in the car and received transfusions. The girlfriend, whose name was not given,
also testified to that effect.

In an interview Sinkewitz gave German publication Der Spiegel in 2007, following the announcement of
his positive control, the German rider provided an insight into the systemic nature of doping practices
within the T-Mobile team. "The truth is, when you join a team as a new professional you encounter a
system. As a young rider, older riders let you know how the business works," he said.

"You're ambitious, you train hard, you develop professionally

and, at some point, you give yourself that extra boost. Things
"Things just keep getting just keep getting better, you're successful, you get recognition,
better, you're successful, everyone likes you and everyone loves you. That's how doping
you get recognition, becomes normal."
everyone likes you and
everyone loves you. Kessler - by now riding for the Astana team - was suspended for
That's how doping two years due to a positive doping control in 2007, just months
becomes normal." before it was announced that Sinkewitz had also failed an out-of-
competition test in June that year. Both riders tested positive for
-Sinkewitz detailed his experiences in an interview
with Der Spiegel
testosterone.

Both Kessler and Klöden could be considered 'older riders' on

the T-Mobile team - the latter having signed in 1998, the former
in 2001. Sinkewitz arrived at the German squad in 2006. The report found there was no evidence that the
other riders, none of whom were German, went with Sinkewitz and his girlfriend on that day in July 2006.
It does not reach the conclusion that other riders did not engage in blood doping practices, however.

The clinic was also found to have performed internal controls on riders' blood, and not just on the three
riders named to be involved in blood doping. Seven samples were tested on July 9, two of which were
shown to have abnormal values, "which, with a high degree of probability, indicate a previous
manipulation," according to the report. These samples were identified with the names of team staff
members, not riders.

However, samples tested five days later also showed the same characteristics, leading the commission to
assume "that the samples from the team workers actually came from cyclists and were registered under
false names."

Of the seven samples, only four bore riders' names, one of Sinkewitz and three of unnamed riders, but
these did not belong to Klöden or Kessler.

The end is nigh...

T-Mobile dumped general manager Olaf Ludwig and brought in Bob Stapleton during 2006. The
American, who placed a heavy emphasis on anti-doping policies, officially assumed control of the team as
of January 1, 2007. The report indicates that as of that date, "no doping activity could be found, but on the
contrary, a stronger anti-doping programme was introduced."

That programme was to be run by Dr. Heinrich, but when he was named by d'Hont in May, 2007, the team
quickly ended its association with the doctor.

Shortly after announcing that Stapleton would take over, T-Mobile's mother company, Deutsche Telekom
cancelled any further sponsorship of the team after 17 years. The team has continued under Stapleton in
two incarnations, the latest being Team Columbia-Highroad, which has made sweeping changes and
operates under a new UCI racing license obtained by Stapleton.

Neglecting the duty of care

The report's authors - three medical experts - were especially horrified at the
health risks the doctors imposed on riders in the team. Schmid and Heinrich were
quick to provide the riders with doping products but slow to disseminate vital
information concerning the products' possible side-effects.

They discussed the health risks involved, "but played them down." The report
discusses at length the possible after-effects of EPO and other drug use, and
notes even that the method of giving the transfusions was not up to medical The French police escorted
Jan Ullrich and Oscar Sevilla
standards. from the 2006 Tour de
France
Harshly criticised is the transfusion given to Sinkewitz during the 2007 Tour de Photo ©: AFP
France. The first bag of blood they used was clotted, and only about half of it could be injected. A second
bag was then used, but about halfway through, Schmid abruptly concluded the transfusion, on the grounds
the other riders were finished and ready to return to the team hotel.

At no point, the report noted, did the doctors inform Sinkewitz

of the possible dangers such as a lung embolism or septic shock,
At no point, the report but let him ride back to France without medical attention.
noted, did the doctors
inform Sinkewitz of the Heinrich and Schmid were not the only doctors mentioned in the
possible dangers such as report. Dr. Georg Huber was also found to have supplied
a lung embolism or septic testosterone to riders when he was team doctor the German
shock, but let him ride national team from 1980 to 1990. Huber confessed to having
back to France without supplied testosterone to two under-23 cyclists "for medical
medical attention. reasons" in 1987.
-The commission's report detailed neglectful
Sponsors Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile International were
practices by team doctors.
not involved in the doping, the report concluded, or at least it
found no reason to believe that the sponsors were involved. It
notes, however, that the sponsor contract was not ended when
the doping news increased, "but only when public opinion changed and there was no more good public

2 of 3 27/07/2010 06:35
www.cyclingnews.com - the world centre of cycling http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=features/2009/freiburg_repo...

image to be attained with Team T-Mobile."

The commission said at its press conference that it found no indication Jan
Ullrich was involved in this particular doping programme. "We found nothing
new against Jan Ullrich," said Hans Joachim Schafer, head of the commission. "I
assume that Jan Ullrich was in Freiburg for the usual medical examinations, but
was cared for elsewhere, if at all." Ullrich, however, was linked by DNA to blood
taken into custody during Operaciòn Puerto.

Photography Doping continued even after

Jan Ullrich was ejected fro m
the 2006 Tour de France.
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here Photo ©: AFP

Images by AFP Photo

Patrik Sinkewitz did not receive warnings of the dangerous side-effects of blood doping.
The French police escorted Jan Ullrich and Oscar Sevilla from the 2006 Tour de France for alleged
involvement in Operacion Puerto, but according to the report, l the team sent riders to Freiburg to
dope just days later.
Doping continued even after Jan Ullrich was ejected from the 2006 Tour de France.
Blood doping boosts available oxygen allowing athletes to do more work. While EPO use can be
detected, adding back one's own blood is still difficult to catch.

More Cyclingnews features

Home Search Survey Feedback Archive Travel Index

About Us Contact us Advertise Site-Tech FAQs
Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy

Copyright 2006 - 2008 Future Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. Future Publishing Limited is part of the Future plc group. Future Publishing Limited is a company registered in England and Wales with
company registration number 2008885 whose registered office is at Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW England.

Contact our Editorial department for further information.

Australia UK USA
Telephone: +61 2 9955 2677 +44 01225 442 244 +1 623 628 4500
Fax: +61 2 9955 2688
Contacts: Editorial - Advertising

3 of 3 27/07/2010 06:35