(05-24) 03:34 PDT FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) --
Eric Zabel and Rolf Aldag, former teammates of two Tour de France winners, admitted Thursday that they took performance-enhancing drugs while riding for the Telekom team in the 1990s.
Speaking at a nationally televised news conference, both said they took EPO. Both apologized and Zabel broke into tears during his confession.
Aldag is now sporting director of the T-Mobile team, previously known as Telekom. Zabel, a prominent sprinter, now rides for Milram.
Both were on the Telekom team when its riders won the Tour de France — Bjarne Riis in 1996 and Jan Ullrich in 1997.
Aldag said he first took the blood booster EPO before the Tour in 1995, while Zabel said he took it in 1996.
Three other former Telekom riders came out earlier this week to admit doping. Zabel is the only one still active in the sport.
Both Aldag and Zabel said one of the reasons they both took performance-enhancing drugs was the feeling that they were not running the risk of being detected.
The two spoke at a news conference organized by T-Mobile at the concern's headquarters in Bonn. Spokesman Christian Frommert said the company would remain a sponsor throughout its contract that ends in 2010.
Zabel said he had told the Milram team two days ago that he intended to come out clean.
"I don't know what consequences will be, I have no idea what the future holds," Zabel said.
Bert Dietz got the snowball of admissions running Monday when he went on national television and admitted taking EPO.
Dietz's admission followed claims by former Telekom massage therapist Jef d'Hont earlier this month that the two doctors gave EPO to some of the team's top riders, including Riis and Ullrich.
Dietz said he was introduced to EPO doping by Telekom team doctors Andreas Schmid and Lothar Heinrich, who also administered the substance when needed.
Schmid and Heinrich released separate statements to the media late Wednesday confirming their involvement with doping in the 1990s while they were working for the Telekom team, later known as T-Mobile.
"I admit that, upon request, I made doping substances, especially EPO, available to certain riders since the mid-1990s," Schmid said in his statement. He said the doping practices did not involve the T-Mobile team.
Schmid said he never gave any drugs to riders without their knowledge.
Heinrich also confirmed he'd been involved in doping. "I took part in the doping of riders in the course of my work as a sports doctor," he said.
Another former Telekom rider, Udo Boelts, admitted to doping late Wednesday.
"Yes, I have to confirm these allegations," Boelts told the ARD television network.
Boelts said he used EPO and human growth hormone.
Former rider Christian Henn, now a sporting director with the Gerolsteiner team, also admitted using EPO earlier this week.