An independent commission working on behalf of the Freiburg University to investigate systematic doping that took place within Team Telekom has said German’s Andreas Klöden and Matthias Kessler were involved in doping activities during the 2006 Tour de France.
The two-year investigation was aimed at uncovering the work of former Telekom doctors Lothar Heinrich and Andreas Schmid. The doctors were fired from the University in 2007 after the investigation showed that they had led organized doping practices for the German team between 1995 and 2006.
Former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis along with several other former Telekom riders had admitted their use of banned substances including EPO. The investigation came to its conclusion after interviewing more than 75 witnesses, testing thousands of blood samples, and tracking bank account transactions of suspected riders.
According to the report, strong evidence points to the fact that Klöden and Kessler were involved in the scandal. While Kessler is currently serving a suspension for using testosterone, Klöden rides for the Astana cycling team and recently won a stage of the Giro del Trentino.