Tour chief backs Ullrich decision

Tour de France director Jean Marie Leblanc has congratulated T-Mobile for ousting race favourite Jan Ullrich on the eve of the competition after he was named in a doping investigation.

The 1997 winner was pulled out by his team on Frday after they were informed by UCI, the sport’s governing body, that the German rider, Spanish team-mate Oscar Sevilla and team manager Rudy Pevenage have been involved in a blood-doping probe in Spain.

Ivan Basso, who rides for the CSC team and was expected to be Ullrich’s biggest rival, was also included in Spanish media reports of a list of 56 cyclists under investigation.

The Italian – last year’s runner-up behind the now-retired Lance Armstrong - was later pulled out of the event by race organisers having been named in the same reports as Ullrich.