ULLRICH BANNED FOR SIX MONTHS

FRANKFURT, Germany - The 1997 Tour de France champion, Jan Ullrich, was
banned from cycling for six months Tuesday after testing positive for
amphetamines.

Ullrich was given half the maximum suspension and was fined $1,400, the
German cycling federation said.

Although officially six months, Ullrich's ban expires March 24 to take into
account the winter offseason.

A three-person disciplinary panel decided to impose the minimum penalty
because it determined that Ullrich did not take the amphetamines to enhance
his performance.

Ullrich, also a four-time runner-up in the Tour de France, tested positive
for amphetamines in an unannounced out-of-competition test June 12.

Ullrich admitted this month that he took "two little pills" in a disco the
night before the test but denied taking performance-enhancing drugs.

"I don't think Jan was doing anything that was meant to be
performance-enhancing," three-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong
told German public TV station ARD. "He's just a young guy. He was at a
disco and did a stupid thing."

Ullrich has been sidelined for most of the season with a knee injury and
was recovering from surgery when he was tested.

Officials from Ullrich's pro squad, Team Telekom, said they were uncertain
about the cycling star's future.

"Right now, Jan doesn't know himself whether he will come back as a cycling
professional," Team Telekom chief Walter Godefroot was quoted as saying in
an interview with the German sports news agency SID. "Jan has often said
things without following them with deeds. Let's wait and see how serious he is."