Kohl names CERA supplier

Take me to your dealer: Kohl names CERA supplier

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Former cyclist Hempel denies charges

Bernhard Kohl has named former pro cyclist and current triathlere Hannes Hempel as his CERA supplier. Kohl tested positive for the drug during last year’s Tour de France and was suspsended for two years. He recently announced his retirement from the sport.

Gerhard Jarosch, spokesman for the Viennese prosecutor's office, confirmed the naming to the Austrian newspaper kurier. "Bernhard Kohl acquired the EPO product CERA from Hannes Hempel on one occasion, before the Tour de France in 2008."

The charge was denied by Hempel's attorney, Herwig Hasslacher, who is an Ironman triathlete. "Hannes Hempel has never had anything to do with doping – neither acquired it nor used it nor provided it," he said on Hempel's website. He also said there was a witch-hunt after his client, "It’s to try and weaken him. Obviously athletes convicted of doping are trying to gain an advantage for themselves by blaming honest athletes like Hempel and others."

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