Olympic and world cycling champion Paolo Bettini supplied German cyclist Patrik Sinkewitz with doping products, television reports said in Berlin on Wednesday.

 

Sinkewitz, 26, was dismissed by T-Mobile during this year's Tour de France when abnormal levels of testosterone were found in his blood during a pre-race drugs test.

 

The German cyclist later admitted he had used "Testogel" patches to help aid recovery.

 

But according to reports on German channel ZDF, Sinkewitz is quoted in a document as naming 2004 Olympic road champion and defending world road champion Bettini, plus retired Italian Davide Bramati, as his suppliers.

 

"I got the Testogel from Italian riders and I can also name them, they were Davide Bramati and Bettini," he is quoted as saying.

 

Sinkewitz and Bettini were team-mates at professional teams Mapei and Quick-Step, before the German switched to T-mobile in 2005.

 

He wants to help doping investigators as a principal witness in order to reduce his ban, which is expected to be two years.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2007)