Ullrich case complicated

“Due to the fact that there is neither a positive A nor B sample, the case against him will be complicated” said Lehner, who has already represented cyclist Danilo Hondo and 1500m runner Dieter Baumann in their fights against doping allegations.

32 year-old Ullrich was sacked from his T-Mobile team for failing to prove his innocence after being named as one of 58 cyclists implicated in a blood doping ring orchestrated by disgraced Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.

As he is now resident in Switzerland, Ullrich will stand trial before the Swiss Cycling Federation, though the federation boss Roland Schläfli confirmed that as yet, they had received no documentation from the International Cycling Union.

He told German press agency dpa: “When we have the papers from the international union, the process is very quick. We will need around a week to decide whether to pass the case to the disciplinary commission, who can then open a case.

“If it came to that, a judgement could be passed after one further week. As far as I know, it would be the first time a case would be brought forward without a positive test result” he added.

UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani insisted the documents would arrive soon, saying “It can only be a matter of days until the files reach the Swiss Federation. The Italians already have theirs.”

Should the UCI – or indeed the rider – regard the decision of the national federation as unjust, then further action could be taken, explained Carpani.

“If we're not happy with the decision of the country's federation, then we can call in the international Court for Arbitration in Sport.”

Should Ullrich be found guilty, a mandatory two year ban is likely. Crucially though, a further two year-ban from riding with any Pro-Tour teams could also be applied, ruling the rider out of cycling's three big stage races – the Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana and Giro d'Italia – until 2010.