VIENNA, Austria — Austrian cyclist Bernhard Kohl was banned for two years by the national anti-doping agency on Monday for using the blood booster CERA at this year's Tour de France.

Kohl, who finished third in the Tour and won the polka-dot jersey for best climber, admitted he used the drug, which is the latest version of the endurance-boosting hormone EPO.

The doping body, known as NADA, announced the ban after a closed-door hearing.

The chairman of NADA's disciplinary committee, Gernot Schaar, said Kohl did not reveal how he got the banned substance.

"He did not name any names of the men behind his doping use," Schaar said. "That means there could be no doubt about the penalty."

NADA gave Kohl the standard two-year ban for a first doping offense. The penalty could have been reduced had he fully cooperated with the anti-doping authorities.

Kohl said he was "disappointed" with the two-year penalty.

"I've made my statement and I've been honest," said Kohl, who declined to comment on whether he told NADA the names of his suppliers. "It's a shame that I got the same penalty as someone who denies everything. This is the wrong way. I definitely made clear how I got it and what my reasons behind it were."

Kohl said he would wait for the written verdict before deciding whether to appeal. Any appeal must be filed at the national level within four weeks, and the case could ultimately end up at the Court of Arbitration of Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Kohl's manager, Stefan Matschiner, who didn't attend the hearing, said he was also disappointed by the outcome.

"I really hoped his cooperative attitude would have lowered the penalty," Matschiner was quoted as saying by Austrian national broadcaster ORF.

Kohl was with Austrian team Gerolsteiner when he became the fourth rider to test positive for CERA. He was later dropped from his new team Silence-Lotto.