Ullrich tests positive in drug test

Telekom have confirmed that rider Jan Ullrich has failed an out-of-competition drug test.

The former Tour de France champion tested positive for a controlled substance during his spell in a clinic where he was recovering from a knee injury.

Telekom are investigating Ullrich's failure, and team spokesman Olaf Ludwig admits they are in the dark.

He said: "At the moment, only the information is with us. Nothing else."

Ullrich, who won the Tour in 1997, had already announced his knee injury would keep him out of this year's event.

The 28-year-old has had a bad year - and last month was convicted of drink-driving.

The result will not be confirmed until a second sample, taken at the same time as the first, is also tested.

However, the German team hinted they will take no action against the rider, as he was not in a condition to compete professionally.

The surprise test was carried out on behalf of Telekom at the Bad Wiesse clinic where Ullrich was recuperating following an operation on May 20.

Ludwig said: "The problems with his knee permitted neither training nor competition, so any intention of manipulating performance can be clearly excluded."

Ullrich is one of the sport's biggest names, riding for one of the most successful teams.

With the start of the Tour just days away, the news is the last thing cycling needed to hear in a season already scarred by drug scandals.

Prominent among them was the case of Stefano Garzelli, Giro d'Italia leader and 2000 winner, who was thrown off this year's Giro after testing positive for the masking agent probenicid.

Following Garzelli's disgrace, his employers Mapei announced their intention to abandon cycling at the end of the year in protest at what they say is a failure by the sport's governing body (UCI) to tackle doping.

Garzelli's compatriot Gilberto Simoni was also disqualified for failing a test for cocaine - the result, he maintains, of a trip to the dentist.

In addition, Laurent Paumier and Laurent Roux have been forced to withdraw from the Tour following positive doping results this week.