An unexpected encounter

By Susan Westemeyer

The weather is forcing Fabian Wegmann to do his training on cross-country skis rather than the bike right now, but until recently he was on the road with training partners Michael Rich, Christian Müller and Paul Martens. And then they spotted something unexpected, as they rode near Merdingen (the former home of Jan Ullrich):

"We were followed by little, magenta-coloured figure on the horizon, which slowly came closer and closer. With an unbelievable show of force he joined us, and we though it was just a hobby rider who wanted to show us up. To our surprise it was Oscar Sevilla. We didn't believe our eyes at first. A lot of German pros fly south, but here was a Spaniard, accustomed to sun and warmth, under way alone in Baden at 0° He didn't become a regular in our group, though. He had been visiting the University of Freiburg Klinik and wanted to make the rounds of Ullrich's former training area." (www.fabianwegmann.de) T-Mobile reported that Sevilla was indeed at the Klinik for a week, receiving treatments for back problems stemming from his crash at the 2003 World's in Hamilton. "We are trying to correct an instability in the lower back through intensive physical therapy," said team doctor Stefan Vogt.

Sevilla trained daily in the weights room and received therapy twice a day while in Freiburg.