d'Hont claims that Pevenage knew Ullrich used EPO

By Susan Westemeyer

Rudy Pevenage has allegedly said that Jan Ullrich used EPO during the 1996 Tour de France, in which he finished second. The claim was made in a telephone conversation between Pevenage and former Team Telekom soigneur Jef d'Hont, a transcript of which is to be published in next week's edition of the German news magazine Focus.

D'Hont's book, "Confessions of a Cycling Soigneur" set off a wave of public doping confessions when it appeared this spring. He recently announced that he was writing a second book, which would contain "new evidence against Jan Ullrich".

According to the transcript, Pevenage said that Ullrich "used EPO in 1996, just like everyone else did". In addition, Pevenage said that he was in touch with Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes during the 2006 Giro d'Italia, and in fact had known the Spanish doctor "for 20 years". Pevenage had previously denied ever knowing Fuentes.

Through his lawyer, Pevenage confirmed that he had spoken with d'Hont but denied the version of the conversation appearing in Focus. According to the magazine, d'Hont provided them with tapes of the conversation.

"Jan started doping in 1996," d'Hont told the magazine."During the Tour de France he used 30,000 units. He was injected with 2000 units every second day." The former soigneur said that when the team doctors were not available, he himself injected Ullrich with "vitamins, but also EPO and growth hormones."

D'Hont said that he has turned all of his information as well as the complete transcripts of various phone calls over to German investigators.