Cycling-T-Mobile to examine doping charges in masseur's book

The T-Mobile cycling team said today it would investigate allegations of systematic doping between 1992 and 1996 made by a former team masseur that are to be published in German magazine Der Spiegel tomorrow.

T-Mobile general manager Bob Stapleton and sporting director Rolf Aldag said they will examine the charges made by former masseur Jef D'Hont that the team, formerly known as Telekom, had encouraged riders to use the banned blood booster EPO.

In excerpts of his book in Der Spiegel, d'Hont said both Telekom Tour de France winners Bjarne Riis (1996) and Jan Ullrich (1997) used erythropoietin (EPO). He said the Telekom medical team encouraged Ullrich to use EPO in 1996.

''These are massive accusations,'' Aldag was quoted telling German sport news agency SID today.

''We're going to closely examine the evidence. It's not a question of getting out of this situation. It's important to find out what happened. We're in a position to react in any possible direction.'' But Aldag, who was a member of the Telekom team in the 1990s, added: ''It's inconceivable that there was systematic doping.'' Aldag said he never used any banned substances.

The T-Mobile went through a major restructuring last season after a scandal-filled year, which included the dismissal of Ullrich just before the Tour de France.

''We're going to take the time and see which information is true,'' Stapleton said.

D'Hont said documents to back up his charges were destroyed by his wife years ago due to fears of a police raid at his home.

D'Hont accused two team doctors, Lothar Heinrich and Andreas Schmid, of administering injections of EPO in 1996. Heinrich is the T-Mobile team doctor. Heinrich dismissed the charges in a statement released by T-Mobile.

Walter Godefroot, the former Telekom team boss, rejected the charges from d'Hont.

''He's written a book and evidently needs money,'' Godefroot was quoted saying by SID. ''I never told riders to use doping.

There was no comment on Sunday on the websites of either Ullrich and Riis. Germany's Ullrich retired from racing last month. Dane Riis is team manager with the CSC outfit.

Reuters JS DB2318

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