Ullrich to "help all Austrian cycling"

Jan Ullrich will help not only Team Volksbank but also "Austrian cycling in general", according to an enthusiastic Thomas Kofler, manager of the Professional Continental team. "He can give us new impulse, both on the road and behind the scenes," Kofler said.

On Monday, Ullrich announced his retirement as a pro cyclist and said that he would be working with the Austrian team in the future.

"He can help the team, with his experience, his ambition and his strong will. Not to forget Ullrich's contacts, which could be unbelievably valuable for the future of our squad. Ullrich will pursue his career with Volksbank with the same energy as he did in his active career, I am convinced of that," the team manager told sport1.

Although Kofler did not want to go into specifics of what role Ullrich would fill at the team, he said that "Jan has his own ideas, which he wants to put into action. He is very enthusiastic about it, because he has the feeling of being useful. We are giving him the proper environment and he is bring the ideas. We both profit from it."

Although Ullrich did not directly address the question at his press conference Monday, he told the Bild tabloid that "I have never doped." On which Kofler commented, "If he said that, then I believe him. I know Jan ULlrich as a trustworthy person of integrity. (...) He assured me that there is nothing to the rumours. Why should I doubt his word?"

Kofler added that he is not aiming to join the ProTour, because he is not sure how much longer it will exist. "But we want to eventually position the Volksbank Team in the first league, and at least play a small role there," he said.