Simultaneously we received positive signals from the UCI, IPCT and ASO. Had this incident happened during his
time at Team Milram, no conversation would have taken place anymore. At the end of this year we are going to decide if we
will continue working with Erik Zabel next year," Teammanager Gianluigi Stanga said.
Gerry van Gerwen, Team Milrams Commercial Manager, supports Stanga’s declarations: "We contacted the UCI
President Pat McQuaid, the IPCT President Patrick Lefevre and Christian Prudehomme of ASO at once. All three supported us
in the decision that Erik Zabel is allowed to continue riding for Team Milram. Zabel’s openness is to be a role model
for the peloton. Everybody who loves professional cycling wants clean performances."
After deliberate considerations Nordmilch AG also supported Team Milram’s management to maintain the collaboration
with Erik Zabel. "We talked to Erik Zabel very insistently and made it clear to him that we explicitely disapprove his doping
offence and the long time of his silence. But Erik Zabel credibly ensured us that this incident was a singular case. The singularity,
his way of revealing his past towards the public as well as the numerous positive reactions of our consumers within the past
days were crucial for our decisison. We regard Zabel’s avowal as a late, but important contribution to the refurbishment
of the past. Clean cycling is the significant basis of our still young sponsoring engagement. For this reason we examined
the individual case Zabel very diligently from our sponsor’s point of view and
came to the decision that Erik Zabel is allowed to continue riding for our team. However, the incident will lead to sanctions for Erk Zabel, which we will communicate
to him within the next weeks," Martin Mischel, Director Sales and Marketing, explains the Nordmilch AG’s
decision.
Erik Zabel shows himself relieved after the conversation with the persons responsible
of Team Milram and the Nordmilch AG. "It was important for me to reveal my past. After I apologised to
the public on Thursday I explicitly want to apologise to the management and my colleagues
at Team Milram as well as to our main sponsor. I am thankful that the persons responsible appreciate my
openness and that they have decided that I am allowed to continue riding for Team Milram.
Since last year we established a huge passion for clean cycling with our young riders at Team Milram.
I’m looking forward to be allowed to be a part of this team further on."
Erik Zabel returns to Team Milram’s regular racing business with immediate
effect. Therefore, Zabel will start for Team Milram at the Tour of Bavaria, which begins tomorrow in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
