Bergman admits EPO use

cyclingheroes

From Cyclingnews:

Suspended US rider Adam Bergman has admitted using EPO. On April 6, 2004, then-23-year-old Bergman returned a positive result for recombinant human Erythropoietin (rEPO) in an out-of-competition test. He subsequently finished 11th in the Tour de Georgia, before the test result was known, and was subsequently sacked from his team at the time, Jelly Belly.
In July 2004, Bergman accepted a two-year suspension from USADA but did not admit using rEPO. He has now conceded that the test result was correct and he did use the drug, which improves the body's ability to carry oxygen in the blood by stimulating the production of red blood cells, at the risk of death by heart attack because the blood becomes too thick.

Late in the afternoon of February 15, 2006, Bergman issued the following statement.

Almost two years ago, I tested positive for EPO. Until now, I have not been a strong enough person to admit to taking EPO. I never denied the charges, but I hid behind the fact that the test results were not entirely clear, and I hoped that I might be able to get off on a technicality.

It is time to tell the truth. I did it. I experimented with the drug EPO when I was preparing for the Tour de Georgia. This admission has been a long time in coming, and I should have done it a lot sooner. It seemed easier to say the test is bad or blame it on someone else's error than to admit the truth. I made a big mistake when I tried EPO, and I made matters even worse by not having the courage to admit that mistake. My family raised me to be a better person then that.

Being honest at this point can't change what I did. If some other young cyclist is facing difficult personal problems or hardships, however, I hope that my experience might help them deal with life's challenges in a better way. I'm not going to elaborate on the personal difficulties I was going through, because at the end of the day they are just excuses. No excuse justifies what I did. If someday someone else is struggling with problems and is tempted to take the easy way out by cheating my plea to you is don't do it. Even if you're luckier than I was and don't get caught, and even if you think it will help you get through a tough time, its not worth it. You have to deal with your conscience the rest of your life.

I know I can never fully restore my good name, and maybe that's how it should be. I knew the consequences were real and I have to take full responsibility for my actions. What is so sad for me personally is that beyond the damage to my personal reputation, cycling is the sport I love and I only added damage to its reputation.

If anything good comes of this experience, maybe it can show others that drugs have absolutely no positive outcomes. What I did not only ruined my career and personal life in every single aspect but I hurt a lot of other people. My selfish act tarnished the reputation of my sponsors, teammates and manager. I know its too late, but I apologize to them personally. This has been a hard lesson for me, but its one I deserved, and one I would never wish on anyone. I am in my second and final year of suspension (as well as continuing with USADA's out of competition testing program) and am looking forward to competing again, clean, in the sport I love. Though it maybe hard, I hope that one day people can forgive me for what I have done. I don't ask anyone to forget because I know I never will myself.

Sincerely,
Adam Bergman

__________________
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Dead Star

now why can't Lance/Tyler be that honest?

Erzulis Boat

Honest my ass. It is the oldest political trick in the book.

AFTER getting caught red handed, make some backdoor gobbledegook, implying the difference of your position via obscure, but oh too obvious references to other athletes that got zapped without the now too obvious tactic of a "full admission" of guilt.

This will have effectively seperated himself (and his predicament) from the Tyler fiasco. His sentence will be more lenient, and the fans will say "What an honest man!", after he cheated his ass off, and got busted.

Biscayne

Right on.

Note the carefully crafted language intended to spin, spin, spin and make him look naive and innocent.

By using the phrase "experimented with the drug EPO when I was preparing for the Tour de Georgia.", he's trying to minimize his use.

Ditto when he says: "I made a big mistake when I tried EPO".

He didn't use EPO, he merely "tried" it, or "experimented" with it. WHAT A CROCK.

On and on he goes about how much he cares about cycling and about young kids coming into the sport. BULL! If he was sincere, then he would have told the full story. Doping with EPO is not like popping a vitamin pill.

Somebody tells you where to buy it, how to inject it. They tell you where to buy the centrifuge, how and when to draw blood, how to run the centrifuge and test your hematocrit levels to make sure you don't accidentally thicken your blood too far and kill yourself.

If this guy was anything but covering his own ass, he would tell where it was he got the advice. Which of his teammates, coaches or trainers told him where to buy, how to inject, how to manage the centrifuge, etc.? Who was the dealer?

But no, instead, he follows the code of silence. When you go down, you spin however you need to spin, but whatever you do, you cover up for everyone else on your team, etc. You keep the dope safely in the sport.

All that stuff about caring about the sport and kids ... that's just cunning and calculated to manipulate, mislead and con.