Ullrich admits contact with doping scandal doctors

Feb 10, 2012, 8:36 GMT

Berlin - Former Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich has admitted for the first time contact with Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes but has not directly said he was involved in doping.

Ullrich said on his homepage he would not contest Thursday's ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) who found him guilty of blood doping.

'I know it was a big mistake which I regret very much,' Ullrich said.

'For this behaviour I wish to apologize sincerely to all concerned - I am very sorry. In hindsight I would have acted differently in some situations during my career.'

CAS Thursday banned ban the now retired Ullrich for two years. and stripped him of third place at the 2005 Tour. International cycling federation UCI evidence had shown that the German was one of the clients of Fuentes in the Operacion Puerto case.

The scandal broke in 2006 when Spanish police conducted an operation against the Fuentes doping network and uncovered blood bags linked to cyclists in raids on the doctors clinic in Madrid.

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