I rubbed the contents of one bag onto my upper arm on the evening of June 7, just before I went to bed. I thought: Well, it can't hurt. I flushed the packaging down the toilet.

The patient in the bed next to me told me that the newspapers were reporting on the test, and it was on television all day long.

I can count off on one hand the number of times I've used testosterone gel - because it doesn't really do much.

I assumed the amount wouldn't be detectable. I also didn't feel that I had done anything wrong.

I spent my first two years as a professional with Mapei in Italy, on their youth team. We rode in minor races. Doping wasn't an issue. S

I rubbed the contents of one bag onto my upper arm on the evening of June 7, just before I went to bed. I thought: Well, it can't hurt. I flushed the packaging down the toilet.

Of course they were saying: No doping! But as a rider, it's difficult to believe that things can really change from one day to the next.