💥🇮🇹📅 20-03-2004 💥 Erik Zabel levanta los brazos, pero Óscar Freire consigue la primera de sus 3 @Milano_Sanremo #MilanoSanremo
Erik Zabel: Yes, of course I doped... I hope the new generation learns from our mistakes
CyclingFriday, 13 October 2023 at 11:02
Erik Zabel was one of the best sprinters of the late 20th and early 21st century. He retired with 146 victories to his name, including 12 stages, 6 Tour de France regularity jerseys, 8 stages in the Vuelta a España, 4 Milan-San Remo, 3 Paris-Tours, 3 Eschborn-Frankfurt, the Amstel Gold Race and numerous stages in races such as the Tour de Suisse or Tirreno Adriatico.
In a conversation with Relevo colleagues, he recalled some of his former rivals such as Óscar Freire, Alejandro Valverde or Alessandro Petacchi; he talked about what the Vuelta a España meant to him and again acknowledged his doping and what he thinks of cycling today in those terms.
ÓSCAR FREIRE
He is my friend. We had good times together when we were competing. It is true that we were rivals, but there was always respect. Sometimes we had a few run-ins, but our fight was a sporting one. Later, when he left Rabobank to join Katusha, I trained him because I was on the coaching staff at the time.
ALEJANDRO VALVERDE
All my respect for Alejandro Valverde. The best of his generation from my point of view. One of the most professional cyclists, no doubt. A multifaceted giant.
ALESSANDRO PETACCHI
It's one of the moments I can't forget, how I lost there. Yes, I was focused on overtaking Petacchi a few meters from the finish line. When I did, I raised my arms to celebrate what I thought would be my victory. Suddenly Freire came from behind. I was in shock. He beat me; he was going very fast. It was a surprise, and as I say, I still remember it even though it's been almost twenty years. You know what's funny? Well, obviously he won, but there are people who have kept the image of my celebration and think that Oscar was second.
VUELTA A ESPAÑA
I'll explain it to you, because it's easy. At the beginning of each season in my team (Telekom) I always asked us which Grand Tour we wanted to race. Everybody wanted the Tour, a few wanted the Giro and almost nobody wanted the Vuelta because it was the last one, so it was a big effort. Also for the German journalists, who usually declined. It was perfect for me because there was no media pressure of any kind. If you lost, nothing happened because nobody cared, but if you won... I liked the Vuelta a lot, yes.
DOPING
Yes, of course I doped. Everything I said at the time is true. I did use doping substances, but that's in the past. Unfortunately it happened like that, but I hope that the new generation learns from our mistakes. Today I believe that cycling is clean. I hope so.
FRIENDS IN CYCLING
You know, no one ever asked me this question. When we were racing it was hard to have them, because there was tension, stress and competitiveness. We didn't talk much. Now everything is easier, because we are relaxed, and yes, old rivals are friends in some cases.
Read also
Article written by Juan Larra.
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Might be bit isn't. The reason is actually that no one wants to work for free. But that's my point. Incur the costs for a year, make clear that ads are coming and see if it works. No one else has tried this in cycling.Renz15-11-2024
- Plus MVDP now having basically done 4 seasons in 2 years might warrant a slightly longer rest than usual, although even then his will STILL be shorter than 98% of all other pro cyclists in any field.Mistermaumau15-11-2024
- Yes, I’d say they’ve done their job in CX.Mistermaumau15-11-2024
- C’mon, they need this kind of gooey content in winter to stop readers switching off. Medias sowing seeds to provoke discussion and rumours that lead to a self-defined legitimacy to introduce undesired questions during rider interviews in order to boast delivery of “original” contentMistermaumau15-11-2024
- By definition an analogy is always GERMANE, tganjs for pointing out the obvious and revealing you don’t understand its purpose.Mistermaumau15-11-2024
- The reason you don’t see these type of websites often and certainly not in cycling might be that they die before you find them. But tell us about it when you’re done I’ll visit to check it out.Mistermaumau15-11-2024
- Someone should do this: create a cycling news site that is free with no ads. Watch the subscriptions like up. Then carefully and slowly introduce ads. I might do it myself. Sites like CUTD are poorly conceived and consequently a mess. Readers will leave as soon as there is a better alternative.Renz15-11-2024
- Wout still recovering from injuries? Might be more of a factor than any attempted middle finger to the UCI?mobk15-11-2024
- We ll talk about all of this in 10 years - but for now lets stop the bullshitChrisBe14-11-2024
- This may very well be is the least germaine comment I've ever read online.verve82514-11-2024