A DNA analysis has confirmed that certain packs of blood found during the Spanish 'Operation Puerto' anti-doping investigation were from Jan Ullrich, the Bonn state prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.
Former Tour de France winner Ullrich, who announced his retirement from cycling last month, has always denied doping and his lawyer immediately called the results of the analysis into question on Tuesday.
Ullrich was withdrawn from the T-Mobile team before last year's Tour when he was linked with the 'Puerto' investigation, which discovered anabolic steroids, laboratory equipment used for drug transfusions and over 200 bags of blood in raids in Madrid and Zaragoza. A link with Ullrich was suspected when several bags of blood were found with labels thought to have a connection with the 1997 Tour winner.
Earlier this month, the judge leading the investigation in Spain decided to close the case, after concluding that no offences were committed under Spanish law. Ullrich remains under investigation in Germany for alleged fraud.
Ullrich had agreed in February to give a DNA sample to allow a comparison to be made with the discovered blood and the state prosecutor's office in Bonn confirmed on Tuesday the analysis had established the connection. "The blood is Ullrich's," a spokesman said. "Further investigations will establish the other facts."
Ullrich's lawyer Johann Schwenn said the results announced on Tuesday were doubtful. "After the irregularities of the Spanish investigation and at the UCI (International Cycling Union) it is perfectly possible that the apparent discovery is the result of manipulation," Schwenn said in a statement on Ullrich's official website (www.janullrich.de).
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