Zabel contemplates his future

By Susan Westemeyer

T-Mobile star sprinter Erik Zabel is contemplating his future, ranging from which races he will take part in next to which team he will be with next year. According to an interview in Sunday's edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the 34 year-old confirmed that he has contract offers for next year not only from T-Mobile but also from other teams, including Gerolsteiner. He plans to make his decision no later than the HEW-Cyclassics race on July 31.

It took him a while to accept the team's decision not to name him to the Tour de France team, Zabel admitted. "In the first two or three days I had to force myself to get on my bike again, for the first time in my career. I was already getting ready for the Tour. It was hard to screw my emotions back down. I had to come to terms with it and then find a new sporting challenge. Now I've found it," he said. His new season's goal is now winning the World Championship in Madrid in September.