Hamburger admits EPO use in new book

By Susan Westemeyer

Bo Hamburger has confessed to having used EPO in the 1990s. In a book which was released today, he admitted to having used the drug from 1995 to 1997. In his book, Den storste pris – en cykelrytters bekendelser ('The Greatest Price – Confession of a Cyclist'), the 37 year-old Dane said, according to the dpa agency, that all of the top riders were using the substance.

Hamburger was one of the first riders to test positive for EPO under a new test in 2001 at the Flèche Wallonne. He was fired by Team CSC at that time, but the charges were ultimately dropped against him. The A-test was positive, as was one B-test, but a second B-test was negative. The Court of Arbitration for Sport finally ruled in his favour.

He started his professional career with the Dutch team TVM for which he rode from 1991 to 1997. He then rode for Casino (1998), Cantina Tollo (1999), CSC (2000-2001), Index Alexia (2002), Fromaggi Pinzolo Fiavè (2003), Acqua & Sapone (2004-2005) and Miche (2006), before retiring. He won a stage in the 1994 Tour de France, was second in the World Championships in 1997, won the Flèche Wallonne in 1998, wore the maillot jaune for one day in the 1998 Tour de France, and was Danish national champion in 2000.