After the news of the positive sample came out, on July 18, Germany's public tv stations ARD and ZDF decided to stop covering the Tour de France. Sinkewitz crashed on July 16 during this years Tour de France and heard the news while being in a Hamburg hospital for treatment. The rider who started his career in the U 23 Mapei squad, broke his nose and suffered a shoulder injury in the accident.

In a first reaction after the news of his positive test was anounced, Sinkewitz denied any wrongdoing but in a statement issued by his lawyer, Michael Lehner, who is also representing Jörg Jaksche, Sinkewitz said he was prepared to take the consequences for his "misdemeanours" and expressed his "deep regret". Sinkewitz has withdrawn a request for his B-sample to be analysed.

Sinkewitz said that on the day before his test he had used a preparation called Testogel made by the firm Jenapharm which is meant to help people suffering from testosterone deficiency.

"It was a big mistake and showed a lack of responsibility to the team, my colleagues, the sponsor and the entire sport of cycling to use the Testogel," the winner of this years edition of Henninger Turm said.

Sinkewitz announced that he will cooperate with the German cycling federation (BDR) and hoped to help remove doping from cycling. "I am ready to take part in a new cycling after my ban," he said.

Sinkewitz was immediatly sacked by the T-Mobile team."He broke his commitment to us, so his contract has been terminated", said head of sports management Rolf Aldag. "Of course the doping positive came as a shock to us, but it shows the effectiveness and importance of our internal testing and NADA's testing," T-Mobile sports director Rolf Aldag said in statement. Aldag admitted two months ago that he took epo during his career as a pro cyclist.

Sinkewitz should now cooperate fully with the authorities, Aldag added. "Patrik must put everything on the table that helps to shed light on this," he said.

Christian Frommert, vice president sponsoring communications at Deutsche Telekom, welcomed the action: "The fact that Mr Sinkewitz passed on the opening of the B-sample means that he is accepting the results of the A-sample. We thus have a clear-cut doping case."

According to Aldag, Sinkewitz (26) will now face a two-year ban from competition - and will be obliged to repay a year’s salary for a doping violation.