Austria say no to Ullrich

The federation released a statement on Thursday, insisting there had been “no invitation or offer on the part of the ORV to Herr Ullrich, to apply for residency and a professional licence.” The statement added that the ORV “wished to have no nothing further to do with any developments concerned with the Ullrich case.”

The 32-year-old German left the Swiss cycling federation earlier this month, slamming them for “conducting a media campaign against him,” and thereby lost his licence to compete professionally.

He had then been linked with a move to Austria, after ORV general secretary Rudi Massak appeared to offer the rider a lifeline on Monday, stating:

“If Ullrich moves to Austria, then I will grant him a licence,” and adding that “everything that has been written in the media and the press until now is speculation, and that's an unacceptable situation.”

But the ORV sought to clear up any misunderstanding, saying that Massak had “merely outlined the rules and regulations regarding the issuing of licences.”

According to Austrian news agency APA, Ullrich's manager Wolfgang Strohband had enquired with the ORV about acquiring a licence for the 1997 Tour de France winner.