THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
Zabel: '2008 season could be my last'
German sprint ace, Erik Zabel, said Thursday the 2008 season could very well be his last in the professional peloton.
Zabel, a record six-time consecutive winner of the Tour de France's green jersey, discussed his future plans as his Milram team unveiled a significantly restructured squad for the upcoming season.
The 37-year-old German, who hit the headlines last year when he admitted to having "briefly" used the banned blood booster EPO early in his career while he raced with Deutsche Telekom, said he is already thinking about life away from the bike.
"I think it will be my last season as a cyclist," said Zabel. "But if at the end of the year I realize I'm still enjoying cycling as much, or if Alessandro Petacchi asks me to stay to help him for an extra season, then I might reconsider."
Despite the leadership provided by Italian sprinter Petacchi and Zabel for the team’s third season in the pro ranks, Milram has made significant changes as it work to align itself with the teams hoping to finally wipe out doping. Nonetheless, the team has continued its commitment to Petacchi, who was mired in a scandal over his use of the asthma drug Salbutamol during last year's Giro d'Italia.
Among the changes made at Milram, former team manager Gianluigi Stanga has left the team and management has invested in a group of mainly German riders as the squad aims for success in the one-day classics and the major stage races, including the Tour de France.
"We want to reestablish ourselves as a German team in 2008," said team manager Gerry van Gerwen.
In line with many other ProTour-level teams, Gerwen aims to establish a strict anti-doping program run internally by the team.
Zabel has won 12 stages on the Tour de France, earning an impressive six green jersey competitions along the way.
Erik Zabel at a glance
Born: July 7, 1970
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 150 pounds
Turned Pro: 1993
Teams:
Telekom: 1993-2005
Milram: 2006 -
Career Highlights
Tour de France - 12 stage wins; Six points jerseys
Vuelta a Espana - 8 stage wins; Three points jerseys
Tour of Germany - 13 stage wins; Three points jerseys
Tour de Suisse - 8 stage wins; One points jersey
1st, UCI World Cup title, 2000
1st, Milan-San Remo, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001
1st, Paris-Tours, 1994, 2003, 2005
1st, Amstel Gold Race, 2000
1st, HEW Cyclassics, 2001
1st, Six Days of Munich, 1995, 2001, 2005, 2006
1st, Six Days of Dortmund, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006
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