Riis admits winning Tour de France while on drugs

CYCLING/German doping scandal:German cycling's doping scandal claimed its first Tour de France winner yesterday after 1996 champion Bjarne Riis admitted he won the event while on performance-enhancing drugs.

The revelation by the former T-Mobile team leader increases further the pressure on his former team colleague, Germany's disgraced Jan Ullrich, to answer growing speculation about his 1997 Tour de France win. "The time has come to put the cards on the table," said Riis at a press conference yesterday in Copenhagen. "Doping was part of my everyday life."

The 43-year-old Dane, who quit competitive cycling in 2000, said he took illegal substances from 1993 until 1998 including erythropoietin (EPO), a synthetic hormone that increases stamina by boosting oxygen-rich red blood cells. A test for the drug was introduced in 2000.

Five of Riis's former T-Mobile team members have admitted taking EPO, including Erik Zabel who now rides for Team Milram.

Riis appeared to defend his actions, yesterday, calling himself a "cyclist on the terms of the time. I'm proud of my results," he said. "I know I haven't achieved them on completely honest terms, but I know how hard I fought for them. I may no longer be a hero, but I can live with that."

Riis declined to speculate on whether Ullrich took illegal substances. "I have no proof Jan doped. I did it myself on my own and bought the drug myself," he said.

Ullrich retired from cycling in February under a cloud after Spanish police suspected him of involvement in a doping ring surrounding sports doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. Dr Fuentes was arrested in May 2006 as part of an anti-doping operation called "Operatin Puento" that led to the exclusion of Ullrich and T-Mobile from last year's Tour de France.

Last month, police said they had secured traces of Ullrich's DNA in Fuentes's practice. German media described this as the "smoking gun" that finally linked Ullrich and illegal substances.

While the Spanish investigation continues, German prosecutors may drop their fraud investigation into Ullrich because of the apparent wide-spread use of EPO on the T-Mobile team.

"Originally, we were of the opinion the directors of T-Mobile did not know about the doping practises, but a review is under way to determine if that is still the case," said a spokesperson for Germany's public prosecutor.

Events were set in motion last month when former T-Mobile masseur Jef D'Hont published a book claiming he gave team members EPO during the 1990s. One by one, the team members went public this week to confirm D'Hont's allegations. Only Ullrich has remained silent.