The bad news just keeps piling on for T-Mobile. The knee problems that kept Olaf Pollack out of this week's Belgian races have turned out to be worse than expected. An examination at the University Clinic in Freiburg, Germany, showed that the 32-year-old has not only an infection in the right knee but also a hairline fracture in the meniscus. Team doctor Andreas Schmidt recommended that Pollack reduce the intensity of his training. "I'm doing pretty well. I'm glad that we've found the cause of the problem, and that I can keep on training," Pollack said. His next planned start is Rund um Köln on April 17.
Another, more famous, T-Mobile right knee should get a little more intensive training this week. Team Manager Olaf Ludwig said that Jan Ullrich should start increasing his workouts again. It should be decided around April 20 as to whether Ullrich will start in the Tour de Romandie, as currently planned. His teammate and good friend Andreas Klöden, recovering from shoulder surgery, will not start racing again until sometime in June, with the Luxemburg Tour, the Dauphine Libéré, and the Tour de Suisse all being possibilities.
