May 25, 2007 – T-Mobile will continue its sponsoring engagement in cycling, and will continue to back sporting director Rolf Aldag who today confessed to using EPO while riding for Team Telekom from 1995 to 2002. The T-Mobile Team’s support for Aldag was confirmed by general manager Bob Stapleton at a televised press conference at T-Mobile’s corporate headquarters in Bonn on Thursday afternoon.

Stapleton started off by reiterating the team’s mission to create an environment where committed young cyclists could succeed without drugs, and to shape positive change in the sport of cycling by levelling the playing field for all athletes.

“Over the last few months the team has enjoyed athletic success far beyond our expectations – winning many important races. We are very pleased with the athletic success, particularly by young athletes.”

Stapleton then gave Rolf Aldag his backing. “To make a decision on whether I could continue working with Rolf, I had to first answer two fundamental questions ‘Is Rolf’s commitment to clean and fair sport in jeopardy?’ and ‘Is his ability to make positive change in the team and sport compromised?'”

“On the first issue my view is based on my direct and personal experiences with him over the last eight months and our day-to-day dealings on how to build a constructive environment for young athletes in the team,” said Stapleton who had rejected Aldag’s offer to resign.

“I think Rolf’s work has been exceptional in that regard. And his personal commitment to clean and fair sport has never been questioned by me.”

Stapleton consulted with the team before making his final decision on Aldag’s suitability to continue leading the team: “I have spoken to our athletes, asked how they feel about things and about the team management. Many of them said that Rolf Aldag was the reason they are here.

“For me it’s very significant that all team members believe that they can still work together. They resoundingly said that Rolf should stay, continue to show leadership, and that he has their full and complete support.”

“He and I still have some issues to resolve, but I intend to continue to work with him. He has my support. Rolf is part of the past, but he must be part of the future, too.”

Sponsor T-Mobile committed to team
Christian Frommert, director of sponsoring communication at Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile’s parent company) also reiterated the company’s continued commitment to its sponsoring programme.

“Telekom has been an active sponsor of cycling for 16 years and has always strived to take responsibility for the sport. At present, the sponsoring of cycling is not image-enhancing, and we were faced with two possibilities; either to pull the plug on our sponsoring or fulfill our existing agreement with the team which runs through 2010.

“We have decided on the latter course. We want to give Bob Stapleton and his young team the chance to continue on their clean, fresh and transparent course – and we want to live up to our commitment and responsibility to shape change in cycling. That is what we set out to do when we re-launched the team last September.”

Aldag comes clean
T-Mobile’s sporting director Rolf Aldag had earlier admitted to using EPO when he was a professional cyclist in the mid-1990s.

“Before the Tour de France in 1995 I began using EPO and continued using it,” said Aldag. “I am sorry, I lied to the press and the TV because I said to myself I would not be caught. In 1994, I discussed with several teammates what was happening in cycling and I decided to actively seek out doping products. I began taking EPO in 1995.

“I began to get a bad conscience in 1997 when I had to get up at 5:00 a.m. to measure my haematocrit levels so that I wouldn’t get caught,” Aldag added. “

In 2002 I decided to put a line under it, as it was clear to me what I was doing was life-threatening. I did it because I though I could get away with it. It was wrong and I apologize for it.”

Zabel also confesses
Former Telekom/T-Mobile cyclist Erik Zabel, an unannounced guest at the news conference, also admitted to using the banned substance erythropoietin at the Tour de France in 1996.

“In my case, I decided to use EPO shortly before the 1996 Tour de France,” Zabel, at times close to tears and with a trembling voice.

“I lied and I’m sorry,” said the Milram sprinter. “It was a one-off test and then at the end of the first week I stopped the test because I had substantial problems with side-effects.” (GL)
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