News for August 19

Telekom: Decisions this week

As reported from the "Deutsche Presse Agentur" (German Press Agency - dpa), there will be some decisions in the Team Telekom this week. First, it willbe be decided who will be the Co-Sponsor for the next season. As dpa says, the favorite is STIMOROL, a danish chewing-gum producer. Team-Chef Walter Godefroot is quoted as follows: "First, I have to know definitely who's the new Co-Sponsor and what his expectations are. Then I'll meet Erik Zabel a second time. In this talk, the only subject is sport, not money.

I've made Erik the same offer as Rabobank did. We have to check out - together with the other top riders like Riis and Ullrich - whether we can include in the work for the whole team the work for a sprinter like Zabel in the future."

As reported from dpa, all contracts with Telekom riders are signed for the next year except the ones of Riis and Zabel. Riis wants to earn two million marks a year, Zabel wants the same money for a two-year contract. Jesper Skibby, of whom Telekom is interested, is still under contract with TVM. 36-year-old Olaf Ludwig will end his career at the end of the year.

Jan Ullrich: No start at the world championships

Dpa also reports that Jan Ullrich won't start at the world championships in Lugano in October. His manager Wolfgang Strohband is quoted as follows: "Jan starts his holidays in September, because he has to be back in Paris for the presentation of the 1997 Tour de France on October 25th. If he would start at the World Championships, his whole time calendar would be so full that he wouldn't have a phase of recovering. So we decided not to take part in Lugano."

Dpa also reports that Abraham Olano won't start in Switzerland.