Telekom team leader Jan Ullrich has had to postpone his re-entry to the European circuit due to a troublesome knee injury.
Ullrich, the 1997 Tour de France winner and the reigning world time trial champion, pulled out of the Tour of Murcia in Spain today citing recurring pain while racing.
"While in training I'm okay. But as soon as I'm cycling in race conditions the pain comes shooting back," said the 28-year-old German who is now set to undergo tests at a Freiburg clinic.
Team spokesman Olaf Ludwig added: "The most important thing is not to strain the knee. There's no point in taking any kind of risk," said Ludwig.
Ullrich also had to pull out of the Tour of Valencia late in February due to the same injury.
The Tour of Murcia is held March 6th-10th.
AFP