Jörg Jaksche: When I was about 13 years old I used to get excited by the TV coverage of the Tour de France. I wanted to have a bike and my father gave my brother and me a bike after a lot of nagging.

Cyclingheroes: How did your career develop?

Jörg Jaksche: At the school youth and juniors I was pretty succesfull without real systematic training and going to Gymnasium as well.. I was six times German champion and vice-world champion than I came to Oeschelbronn were Michael Rich more or less arranged me to the professionals

Cyclingheroes: What was the absolute highlight of your career untill now?

Jörg Jaksche: When Joseba [Beloki] became second at the Tour. We were all one family and Manolo did think nothing of big parties like the other teams do at the last day of the Tour with strectch limo and dark suits with the vip's to nobel restaurants.. At our team the girlfriends and women came and than we went in jeans and t-shirt with the subway to the champs -elysses to Planet Hollywood where we ordered the complete menue twice and after the 50^th beer the German restaurant manager donated all other drinks and desserts. Winning Paris-Nice was beautiful, the party with the ONCE family unforgettable...

Cyclingheroes: What do you do when you are not on a bike?

Jörg Jaksche: During the winter skiing and I wallow in my architecture magazins, great passion.

Cyclingheroes: When did you hear for the first time that your name was connected with the Operacion Puerto?

Jörg Jaksche: As the presumably falsified report came out.

Cyclingheroes: In some interviews we read that in your opinion there are some irregularities in the Puerto documents...

Jörg Jaksche: Yes according to the documents I rode races were I never even started, respectively my team did not start in the 20 years of its existence. During the Tour of Malaysia (Langkawi) I allegedly flew quickly to Madrid for a bloodtransfusion after I finished and attended at the same evening at dinner in Malaysia. Somebody must have bad daydreams.

Cyclingheroes: On June 30 it was stated again and again that the named riders only had to give a DNA probe in order to race again. Did the UCI already announce were the riders can give their probe?

Jörg Jaksche: I have spoken with McQuaid and early January I have send him a letter in which I wrote that I am willing to unconditionally do a DNA test to defend myself against the false accusations but untill now (13.02.2007) I did not receive an answer.

Cyclingheroes: Manolo Saiz filed a complaint because of irregularities of the Puerto documents, there was even talk of falsifying documents. The Guardia Civil officer who wrote the Puerto Documents was even questioned by a judge in Madrid. Do you know what the complaint of Manolo Saiz is exactly about?

Jörg Jaksche: I don't know for 100%, but it seems like some dokuments were falsified or souped-up. When my lawyer reviewed the documents he also saw that it looks like there are strong discrepancies.

Cyclingheroes: How do you think the Puerto affair was managed?

Jörg Jaksche: When after nine months 30 riders are unemployed and there reputation and livelyhood are destroyd. The press, minesteries and the UCI present the whole case as crystal clear and its asserted that the riders are clear cut doping offenders but like I said before after 9 months no rider is banned I think somebody made a mistake. But every reader should think about that himself and judge themselves about this unbearable situation. But somebody will pay for the huge damages.

Cyclingheroes: In 2004 you raced for the CSC squad. Luigi Cecchini, who is also trainer of Jan Ullrich, made the training schedules for CSC. What experiences did you have with Cecchini?

Jörg Jaksche: Cecchini and his family belong to the best people I have met in the cycling scene, he has nothing to do with doping, those who claim the opposite are lying!

Cyclingheroes: You have critized Jens Voigt sharply because of his remarks about Ivan Basso, why?

Jörg Jaksche: Because he [Voigt] is a poor hypocrite. He takes Basso's price money but puts him him more as just into question if he is a clean athlete. Either keep the money that Basso raced together and believe in his innocence or return the money if he thinks Basso is guilty. Presenting himself as an anti-doping fighter for the lord but taking the dirty money of Basso is pretty hypocritical. It's either.. or.

Cyclingheroes: Do you have an idea why the ARD [German tv station] seriously considered not to broadcast cycling anymore when at the same time nobody considers the same when Justin Gatlin tested positive... In other words: does cycling have a bad lobby? And when yes, how come?

Jörg Jaksche: I don't know, they also broadcast the superbowl although when, they have doping controls since about a year... I think a high school degree only is not enough to understand that, that's much higher...