Telekom’s Jan Ullrich will start his European season on May 22 in the Tour of Bavaria after difficult spring season punctuated by a nagging knee injury. According to a Telekom statement released Monday, Ullrich will not race at the Giro d’Italia (May 11 to June 3), but will begin his season with the Bavarian race and then go on to the week-long Tour of Germany which begins on June 3. “We have opted for caution," said Telekom team doctor Lothar Heinrich, who said that competing in the Giro might compromise Ullrich’s chances in the Tour de France later in the year.

The 1997 Tour de France champion's last race was in the Tour of Qatar in January.
Copyright AFP2002