TORONTO - Canadian cyclist Michael Barry has admitted to doping.

The
Toronto native made the admission in a statement after the U.S.
Anti-Doping Agency said he testified against former teammate Lance
Armstrong in a doping investigation.

The USADA says 11 cyclists testified against Armstrong. The organization has banned Armstrong for life and says his seven Tour de France victories are nullified.

In a release issued Wednesday, Barry says he doped while a member of the Armstrong-led United States Postal Service team.

"After
being encouraged by the team, pressured to perform and pushed to my
physical limits I crossed a line I promised myself and others I would
not: I doped," he said. "It was a decision I deeply regret. It caused me
sleepless nights, took the fun out of cycling and racing, and tainted
the success I achieved at the time. This was not how I wanted to live or
race.

"After the summer of 2006, I never doped again and became a proponent of clean cycling through my writing and interviews."

Barry
says while he didn't confess to his past prior to Wednesday, he made a
point of riding on teams that took a "strong stance against doping."

"I
apologize to those I deceived. I will accept my suspension and any
other consequences. I will work hard to regain people's trust," he said.

The 36-year-old cyclist retired at the end of the season.

Here is the statement from his personal website on Wednesday:

Cycling
has always been a part of my life. As a boy my dream was to become a
professional cyclist who raced at the highest level in Europe. I
achieved my goal when I first signed a contract with the United States
Postal Service Cycling team in 2002. Soon after I realized reality was
not what I had dreamed. Doping had become an epidemic problem in
professional cycling.

Recently, I was contacted by United
States Anti-Doping Agency to testify in their investigation into the use
of performance enhancing drugs on the United States Postal Service
Team. I agreed to participate as it allowed me to explain my
experiences, which I believe will help improve the sport for today’s
youth who aspire to be tomorrow’s champions.

After being
encouraged by the team, pressured to perform and pushed to my physical
limits I crossed a line I promised myself and others I would not: I
doped. It was a decision I deeply regret. It caused me sleepless nights,
took the fun out of cycling and racing, and tainted the success I
achieved at the time. This was not how I wanted to live or race.

After the summer of 2006, I never doped again and became a proponent of clean cycling through my writing and interviews.


From 2006 until the end of my career in 2012, I chose to race for
teams that took a strong stance against doping. Although I never
confessed to my past, I wrote and spoke about the need for change.
Cycling is now a cleaner sport, many teams have adopted anti-doping
policies and most importantly I know a clean rider can now win at the
highest level.

I apologize to those I deceived. I will accept
my suspension and any other consequences. I will work hard to regain
people’s trust.

The lessons I learned through my experiences
have been valuable. My goal now is to help turn the sport into a place
where riders are not tempted to dope, have coaches who they can trust,
race on teams that nurture talent and have doctors who are concerned for
their health. From direct experience, I know there are already teams
doing this but it needs to be universal throughout cycling.

Progressive change is occurring. My hope is that this case will further that evolution.



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