May 22, 2007 (Bonn, Germany) – A decision is expected soon on whether German cell phone company, T-Mobile, will continue to sponsor a ProTour cycling team. According to an AFP report today Christian Frommert, the T-Mobile communication director, explained that the company has been pondering this question for some time. “We will possibly make a clear decision in the coming days,” he added. T-Mobile is a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.

T-Mobile cycling team has been hit hard by doping scandal problems in recent months, with team leader, Jan Ullrich, being implicated in the Puerto Affair, then being barred from the Tour de France in 2006 and finally resigning from pro cycling this year.

In September, to combat doping, the cycling team revealed a strict program of biomedical testing of its cyclists under the direction of team doctors Lothar Heinrich and Andreas Schmid. The cell phone company consequently announced that it was renewing its sponsorship through 2010. But now Heinrich and Schmid have been accused of injecting cyclists with a banned substance – erythropoietin (EPO) – during the 1996 TdF.

These accusations come from both former soigneur Jef d’Hont, and from two former pro cyclists, Bernd Dietz and Christian Henn. When the doctors were not present, team soigneurs were supposed to do the injections.

In 1996, team member, Bjarne Riis won the TdF and in 1997, it was Jan Ullrich. Explanations are now being sought from T-Mobile’s Head of Sports Management, Rolf Aldag, who used to ride with Telekom.

The cycling team was founded as Team Telekom in 1991, changing its name to T-Mobile in 2004. Presently, some 11 of 29 men’s team members are from Germany, with one Canadian (Michael Barry), and a mix of other nationalities. The team, under general manager, Bob Stapleton, also employs doctors, mechanics, physiotherapists, soigneurs, nurses, and has 22 partners. The team uniform is pink. Canada’s Lyne Bessette was recently a member of the women’s team.

T-Mobile’s website is www.t-mobile-team.com