German Erik Zabel admits to doping: press

Former German sprinter Erik Zabel admitted to having used doping products including EPO from 1996 to 2004, in an interview published on German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Sunday.

He also admitted to blood doping and using cortisone.

Zabel’s admission comes a few days after he was named in a French government report that identified cyclists who had tested positive for EPO during the 1998 Tour de France.

The 43-year-old, who retired in 2008, had previously admitted in 2007 to having taken EPO in 1996, although he said he had stopped using it after one week.