Rolf Aldag
Encyclopedia
Rolf Aldag is a former professional road bicycle racer who rode for Team Telekom from 1993 to 2005. He has raced in 10 Tour de France
, 1 Giro d'Italia
and 5 Vuelta a España
. Prior to his joining Telekom he had raced with Helvetia
.
1997, overall win of the Bayern-Rundfahrt
in 1999, a stage win in the Deutschland Tour
1999, being the German road Champion in 2000, a stage win Deutschland Tour 2001, a stage win in the Bayern-Rundfahrt 2002, a 2nd stage place in the 2003 Tour de France
, winner of the Sparkassen-Giro Bochum in 2003, and winner of the Sparkassen Cup Unna in 2003.
Aldag was prominent in the film Hell on Wheels concerning the 2003 Tour de France.
In "retirement", Aldag has set a goal of competing in Ironman triathlons. His first training goal was to complete a marathon in 2 hours 40 minutes. He finished the Hamburg marathon in April 2006 with a time of 2 hours 42 minutes. He went on to finish the 2006 Ironman Lanzarote triathlon in the Canary Islands in 50th place of 825 finishers with a total time of 10:22:14 (swim 1:23:18, bike 5:18:05, run 3:27:56).
T-Mobile hired Aldag as sporting director after sacking Rudy Pevenage
who was named in the 2006 Operación Puerto doping case
.
Aldag is still currently working for the team, now known as .
admitted having used Erythropoietin
(EPO) from 1995 to 1999. Aldag also publicly apologized for having lied about his use of EPO in the past.
His confession was triggered by accusations of former Team Telekom masseur Jef d'Hont from Belgium. In his book, of which excerpts where printed in the German political magazine Der Spiegel
in April 2007, D'Hont accused members of Team Telekom of systematic and organized doping with EPO in the mid 1990s.
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, 1 Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
and 5 Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
. Prior to his joining Telekom he had raced with Helvetia
Helvetia
Helvetia is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially Confœderatio Helvetica, the "Helvetic Confederation".The allegory is typically pictured in a flowing gown, with a spear and a shield emblazoned with the Swiss flag, and commonly with braided hair, commonly with a wreath as...
.
Career
His career highlights include third stage place in both the 1994 and 1995 Tour de France, a stage win in the Tour de Limousin in 1996, a stage win in the Tour de SuisseTour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
1997, overall win of the Bayern-Rundfahrt
Bayern-Rundfahrt
The International Bayern Rundfahrt is a stage race cycling race held each year in Bavaria, Germany. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour.The race was held as an amateur race between 1980 and 1988.- Winners :...
in 1999, a stage win in the Deutschland Tour
Deutschland Tour
The Deutschland Tour was the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI ProTour and has been moved to August...
1999, being the German road Champion in 2000, a stage win Deutschland Tour 2001, a stage win in the Bayern-Rundfahrt 2002, a 2nd stage place in the 2003 Tour de France
2003 Tour de France
The 2003 Tour de France started and ended in Paris. Lasting from July 5 to July 27 the race covered 3,427.5 km , proceeding clockwise in twenty stages around France, including six major mountain stages...
, winner of the Sparkassen-Giro Bochum in 2003, and winner of the Sparkassen Cup Unna in 2003.
Aldag was prominent in the film Hell on Wheels concerning the 2003 Tour de France.
In "retirement", Aldag has set a goal of competing in Ironman triathlons. His first training goal was to complete a marathon in 2 hours 40 minutes. He finished the Hamburg marathon in April 2006 with a time of 2 hours 42 minutes. He went on to finish the 2006 Ironman Lanzarote triathlon in the Canary Islands in 50th place of 825 finishers with a total time of 10:22:14 (swim 1:23:18, bike 5:18:05, run 3:27:56).
T-Mobile hired Aldag as sporting director after sacking Rudy Pevenage
Rudy Pevenage
Rudy Pévenage is a former Belgian cyclist, and later in his career team coach of cycling teams such as Histor, La William, Team Bianchi and T-Mobile Team....
who was named in the 2006 Operación Puerto doping case
Operación Puerto doping case
Operación Puerto is the code name of a Spanish Police operation against the doping network of Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, started in May 2006, which resulted in a scandal that involved several of the world most famous cyclists at the time.Media attention has focused on the small number of...
.
Aldag is still currently working for the team, now known as .
Doping Confession
On 24 May 2007 Aldag together with former Team Telekom team mate and personal friend Erik ZabelErik Zabel
Erik Zabel is a former German professional road bicycle racer who last raced with Milram. With over 200 professional wins he is considered by some one of the greatest German cyclists and best cycling sprinters of history...
admitted having used Erythropoietin
Erythropoietin
Erythropoietin, or its alternatives erythropoetin or erthropoyetin or EPO, is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production...
(EPO) from 1995 to 1999. Aldag also publicly apologized for having lied about his use of EPO in the past.
His confession was triggered by accusations of former Team Telekom masseur Jef d'Hont from Belgium. In his book, of which excerpts where printed in the German political magazine Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
in April 2007, D'Hont accused members of Team Telekom of systematic and organized doping with EPO in the mid 1990s.
See also
- List of doping cases in cycling
- List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences