Snubbed Jaksche retires

BEIJING, April 27 -- German rider Joerg Jaksche retired on Friday because no one would give him a job after he spilled details on the doping practices used by cycling's top teams.

Jaksche was the first to admit using blood doping in the Operation Puerto scandal during testimony to the World Anti-Doping Agency and International Cycling Union, cooperating in return for a reduced one-year ban he is still serving.

The 31-year-old's decision to retire came when he was turned down by Team Milram after every other team had rejected him. He was hopeful following talks in January with the German squad.

"I realized nobody wants me," Jaksche said. "I have spent so much energy and put so much of my heart into finding a new team. They say you can ride for us, and the next day they say you can't ride for us."

Jaksche's ban ends on June 30 but Milram said it wasn't interested. Team sponsor Nordmilch said the cyclist lacked written clearance to compete from the major organizations and race organizers.

Jaksche said he tried, but only world governing body UCI cooperated.

"When it won't work with Milram, then that's it, it's a fact, it's over," he said. "The others have won."

The German rode for Polti, Telekom, Once, CSC and Liberty Seguros, where he was a teammate of last year's Tour de France winner Alberto Contador. Team leadership, he told authorities, either conducted or tolerated doping.

(Source: Shanghai Daily/Agencies)