Of course, if this season turns out to be terrible for me - if I get injured again and this prevents me from reaching a satisfying level, then I could change my decision again. But at this moment, it absolutely feels like the right thing for me to continue through 2003.

Palmarès


Grand Tours overall classification results timeline
WD = Withdrew. When the ambulance arrived on the scene of the accident he was found unconscious and suffering of several fractures on his left leg and arm. He retired in 2002 after winning the climber's jersey in the Tour and going on a solo escape in the Pyrenees.

Affectionately known as "Jaja" (slang for a glass of wine; when he continued drinking wine as a professional the nickname stuck because of the similarity to his name) he won many one-day and stage races and was ranked number 1 in the 1990s. With Alessandro Petacchi Eddy Merckx and Djamolidine Abdoujaparov he is one of only four riders to win the points classification in all three grand tours.