Germany's Jan Ullrich hopes to get himself fit for the Tour de France by racing in this month's Giro d'Italia.
Ullrich, 32, has been dogged by knee problems in the last two months and is still overweight and lacking strength.
He finished 115th in Switzerland's Tour de Romandie on Sunday, 49 minutes 59 seconds behind winner Cadel Evans.
"I'm not going to try and win the Giro because my big goal is the Tour de France but now I'm confident I'll be at my best come July," said Ullrich.
"Obviously, I wasn't able to compete for victory in Romandie but I felt good.
"I know I'm going to have to suffer but the first two weeks of the Giro are not too difficult and I hope to find some form for the final week in the mountains."
Ullrich won the Tour de France in 1997 but was eclipsed by Lance Armstrong, who won seven successive events before announcing his retirement after his 2005 success.