Jan Ullrich

Ullrich at the 2006 Giro d'Italia
Personal information
Full name	Jan Ullrich
Nickname	Ulle, Der Kaiser
Date of birth	December 2, 1973 (1973-12-02) (age 34)
Country	Germany
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Amateur team(s)
1987 1987–1989 1991 1992–1994	SG Dynamo Rostock SC Dynamo Berlin SC Berlin RG Hamburg
Professional team(s)
1995–2002 2003 2003 2004–2006	Team Telekom Team Coast Team Bianchi T-Mobile Team
Major wins
Tour de France (1997), 7 stages Vuelta a España (1999), 2 stages Giro d'Italia, 1 stage World Time Trial Champion (1999, 2001) Olympic Road Race (2000) Tour de Suisse (2004, 2006)
Infobox last updated on:
February 27, 2007

Jan Ullrich (born December 2, 1973, in Rostock, East Germany) is a German former professional road bicycle racer. The 89th Giro d'Italia was held from May 6 to May 28 2006 Italian riders such as Ivan Basso, Damiano Cunego, and defending champion Paolo Savoldelli Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Rostock (ˈʁɔstɔk from Polabian Roz toc, literally "to flow apart" is the largest City in the north German state The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Road bicycle racing is a popular Bicycle racing Sport held on roads (following the Geography of the area using Racing bicycles The In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as History See also:CategoryTour de France by year The dominant sports newspaper in France He went on to achieve five second place finishes, along with a fourth place (2004) and a third place finish (2005). In 2006, Ullrich was barred from competing in the Tour de France amid speculation of having doped. In late February 2007, he announced his retirement at a press conference. Many consider Ullrich one of the most talented riders of all time, possessing great power with a soft, athletic style. Despite, or perhaps because of this talent, critics consider Ullrich to be "lazy" as he was notorious for allowing himself to get out of shape during the off season.

Ullrich won a gold and a silver medal in the Olympics 2000 in Sydney, as well as the 1999 Vuelta a España. "I am proud and happy to proclaim that you have presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever The Vuelta a España ( English: Tour of Spain) is a three-week Road bicycle racing Stage race that is one of the three " Grand Tours Although not known as a one-day race specialist, he won the HEW Cyclassics in front of an adoring home crowd in Hamburg in 1997, and has made podium finishes in other editions of the HEW Cyclassics, and the hilly classic Clásica de San Sebastián. The Vattenfall Cyclassics is an annual one-day pro and amateur cycling race in and around Hamburg. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa - Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic is a cycle race that has been held every summer since 1981 in Spain His victorious ride in the 1997 Tour de France led to a bicycle sports boom in Germany. The 1997 Tour de France was the 84th Tour de France, it took place July 5&ndash27 1997

Biography

Early training

Ullrich won his first bicycle race at the age of eleven. He was educated in the sports training system of the German Democratic Republic attending the KJS sports school in Berlin in 1986. The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. In 1988, he was champion of the German Democratic Republic. The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state After the fall of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany in 1989, Ullrich was still at the KJS but within two years the school closed. The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including Subsequently, he, his trainer Peter Sager and his teammates joined an amateur club in Hamburg until 1994. In 1991, he was 5th in the amateur cyclo-cross world championships. ^[1]

In 1993, whilst still at the Hamburg club, Ullrich surprisingly won the World Amateur Road Race championship in Oslo. At the same time, Lance Armstrong won the professional world championship. Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson September 18 1971 is an American professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam Team Astana

After this and other successes, Ullrich became a professional member of Team Telekom. From 1994 to 2002, he lived in Merdingen, Germany, with his long-term partner Gaby Weiss, with whom he had a daughter, Sarah Maria, on 1st July 2003. Merdingen is a town in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. They moved to Scherzingen, Switzerland in 2002. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Since separating in 2005, allegedly due to Weiss's reluctance to be in the limelight which conflicted with Ullrich's enjoyment of celebrity life, Ullrich has continued to live in Scherzingen whilst Gaby returned with Sarah to Merdingen. In September 2006 he married Sara Steinhauser, sister of his former teammate and training partner, Tobias Steinhauser. Tobias Steinhauser (b 27 January 1972 in Lindenberg im Allgäu) is a former German cyclist. Their first child, a son called Max, was born five weeks prematurely on August 7, 2007. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Early Professional Career

1994 with Peter Becker acting as his agent, Ullrich signed for the Telekom team under Belgian manager Walter Godefroot. Walter Godefroot (born 2 July 1943) is a retired Belgian professional Road bicycle racer and former Directeur sportif of the He then finished third behind winner Chris Boardman of Britain in the world time trial championship in Sicily. Chris Boardman (born 26 August 1968 in Hoylake) is a former English racing Cyclist who won an Individual pursuit Gold ^[2]

In Ullrich's first one and a half years as a professional, he was inconspicuous. In 1995 he won the German national time trial champion. In many Racing Sports an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes will compete in a time trial against the Clock to secure the fastest He also achieved some top ten placings on stages of the 1995 Tour de Suisse. The Tour de Suisse ( English: Tour of Switzerland) is a UCI ProTour stage race held annually in June Aged 21 he had wanted to start the 1995 Tour de France but Deutsche Telekom team director Walter Godefroot thought it was too early. History See also:CategoryTour de France by year The dominant sports newspaper in France Instead he went to the small German stage race, the Hofbrau Cup, where he ended 3rd overall. Ullrich also started the Vuelta later that year only to abandon the race on stage 12.

1996 Tour de France

Ullrich gave up a place in the 1996 German Olympic team in order to ride his first Tour. Starting his first day at the 1996 Tour de France, he finished the prologue 33 seconds down. The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, starting on June 29 and ending on July 21 featuring 19 regular stages 2 individual time trials a prologue and a rest day He stayed within the top twenty until the first day in the mountains on stage 7 when Miguel Indurain famously cracked. Miguel Ángel Indurain Larraya (born July 16, 1964, Villava, Navarre) is a retired Spanish Road racing cyclist. Jan finished 30 seconds back, 22 behind his teammate Bjarne Riis while Indurain finished over 4 minutes down. Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (born April 3, 1964 in Herning) nicknamed the Eagle from Herning (Ørnen fra Herning is a Danish On the following stage, he finished in the same group as Indurain 40 seconds behind Riis. On stage 9, Riis rode into the yellow jersey while Jan finished 44 seconds back and also into 5th place overall 1 minute 38 seconds down from Riis. Over the course of the final mountain stages, Jan rode into a sensational second place behind his Danish teammate, Bjarne Riis, but he conceded time on each mountain stage, eventually being nearly 4 minutes behind Riis. Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (born April 3, 1964 in Herning) nicknamed the Eagle from Herning (Ørnen fra Herning is a Danish However, he won the final individual time trial and secured himself his first Tour stage win. An individual time trial (ITT is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French contre la montre - literally "against Not only did he win the time trial ahead of Miguel Indurain and Abraham Olano, he cut 2 minutes 18 seconds into Riis's lead in the general classification. Miguel Ángel Indurain Larraya (born July 16, 1964, Villava, Navarre) is a retired Spanish Road racing cyclist. Abraham Olano Manzano (born on January 22, 1970 in Anoeta) Gipuzkoa is a Spanish former professional Road racing cyclist This led to the comment by Indurain that Jan would win the Tour some day, adding that it was a remarkable victory considering that Ullrich had been helping Riis all during the Tour. Jan dismissed suggestions he would have done better if he had not had to help Riis, saying that Riis had inspired the whole team. ^[3] Jan finished his first tour in second place at 1 minute 41 seconds from his teammate Bjarne Riis. Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (born April 3, 1964 in Herning) nicknamed the Eagle from Herning (Ørnen fra Herning is a Danish

1997 Tour de France

Ullrich with teammate Udo Bölts crossing the Vosges mountains during the 1997 Tour de France. History See also:CategoryTour de France by year The dominant sports newspaper in France

Before the 1997 Tour, Ullrich had two wins in 1997. They were a stage in the Tour de Suisse and the German national Road Race championship a week before the tour started. The Tour de Suisse ( English: Tour of Switzerland) is a UCI ProTour stage race held annually in June Road racing can be a term involving Road running, road bicycle races, or Automobile races Despite being a domestique of the previous year's winner Bjarne Riis, Ullrich quickly became the favorite in the 1997 Tour de France. The 1997 Tour de France was the 84th Tour de France, it took place July 5&ndash27 1997 He started strongly, finishing second in the prologue behind Chris Boardman. Chris Boardman (born 26 August 1968 in Hoylake) is a former English racing Cyclist who won an Individual pursuit Gold On stage 9 which was the first mountain stage which was won by Frenchman Laurent Brochard, Ullrich showed loyalty as he worked for Riis throughout the stage. Laurent Brochard (born on March 26, 1968 in Le Mans, France) is a professional Road racing cyclist from France. Only on the last ascent of the day when Richard Virenque attacked did Ullrich react. Richard Virenque (born November 19[[ 969]] in Casablanca, Morocco) is a retired French professional Road racing cyclist. Riis struggled to keep up and finished 30 seconds back behind the trio of Virenque, Marco Pantani and Ullrich. Marco Pantani ( January 13, 1970 &ndash February 14, 2004) was an Italian Road racing cyclist widely regarded as being one On the following stage 10 from Luchon to Arcalis Andorra with Riis again falling back as the pace was heating up, Ullrich was seen riding back to the Telekom teamcar to ask permission to attack. He returned to the lead group and pushed ahead up the climb leaving the great climbers Pantani and Virenque in his wake. It was a dominant win where he finished over a minute ahead of Pantani and Virenque^[4] which earned him his first yellow jersey, and when the German press started following the Tour more closely. The Yellow jersey (Maillot jaune majo ʒoːn is the jersey worn by the leader of many multi-stage bicycle races originally and most notably the Tour de France For this performance and ability to keep his nerves, the French sports newspaper L'Équipe, considered him to be one of the top bicycle racers with the words Voilà le Patron ("Here is the boss"). L'Équipe ( French for "the team" is a French nationwide daily Newspaper devoted to Sports The paper is noted for coverage Several days later, Ullrich won the Stage 12 individual time trial: it was another dominant win whereby Ullrich won an individual time trial with a three minute gap between himself and the second placed rider, Virenque, who had started out three minutes in front of him.

On the stage to the Alpe d'Huez, Marco Pantani launched a devastating attack. Alpe d'Huez is a famous Ski resort 1860 metres / 3330 metres (6102 ft / 10924 ft high Marco Pantani ( January 13, 1970 &ndash February 14, 2004) was an Italian Road racing cyclist widely regarded as being one Ullrich, who was 9 minutes ahead of Pantani in the general classification, produced a great ride to limit his losses to only 47 seconds. ^[5] Again on the Morzine stage, Pantani attacked and won the stage, while Ullrich once again was able to limit his time losses. In the final time trial, which was won by Abraham Olano, Ullrich further extended his lead over Richard Virenque and on the following day became the first German to be the overall winner. Abraham Olano Manzano (born on January 22, 1970 in Anoeta) Gipuzkoa is a Spanish former professional Road racing cyclist Richard Virenque (born November 19[[ 969]] in Casablanca, Morocco) is a retired French professional Road racing cyclist. At the age of 23, Ullrich was the fourth youngest winner of the Tour since 1947. Two weeks later, he won the German semi-classic the Hews Cycling Classic in Hamburg. A further two weeks later Ullrich was beaten by Italian Davide Rebellin in a bunch sprint in the Cycling World Cup event the GP Suisse. Davide Rebellin (born 9 August 1971 in San Bonifacio, Province of Verona) is an Italian Road bicycle racer. He was chosen "sports person of the year" in Germany in 1997.

The eternal second; The 1998 Tour

Ullrich was the defending champion of the 1998 Tour de France. On the stage 7 individual time trial, he took the yellow jersey after a very powerful display over 58 km of undulating roads. But several stages later, Marco Pantani blew the Tour apart with a storming victory which began on the ascent of Galibier. Marco Pantani ( January 13, 1970 &ndash February 14, 2004) was an Italian Road racing cyclist widely regarded as being one Ullrich was without Telekom support when Pantani attacked. Pantani stormed past the leaders of the climb and went over the top of Galibier alone. It was a dull and misty day and the roads were wet. The descent was dangerous and Pantani increased the lead. By the bottom of the final climb, Les Deux Alpes, Pantani's lead was nearly four minutes. Telekom tried to limit the losses by bringing Udo Bölts and then Bjarne Riis to pace Ullrich up the final climb. Udo Bölts (born on August 10, 1966) in Rodalben is a retired German Racing cyclist, the brother of Hartmut Bölts. Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (born April 3, 1964 in Herning) nicknamed the Eagle from Herning (Ørnen fra Herning is a Danish As Pantani crossed the finishing line he was in yellow. Ullrich would finish almost nine minutes back dropping to fourth place overall at almost six minutes behind Pantani. ^[6]

On the following stage 16 on the Col de la Madeleine, Ullrich attacked from the peloton. Only Pantani could match his strength. Ullrich did all the work up the Col. Once they got over the top, the pair started to work together. Ullrich won a photo-finish sprint and moved into third overall, and in the final stage 20 time trial, Ullrich won the time trial and moved into second overall. The Tour of 1998 was haunted by doping affairs, giving it the nickname "Tour de Dopage".

In the following year during the inaugural Deutschland Tour, Ullrich fell heavily after getting entangled with Udo Bölts during stage 3 and was taken to hospital. The Deutschland Tour ( English: Tour of Germany and sometimes Deutschland-Rundfahrt in German) is the most important multi-stage Udo Bölts (born on August 10, 1966) in Rodalben is a retired German Racing cyclist, the brother of Hartmut Bölts. Later it was found that he had a right knee injury and that he could not ride the 1999 Tour de France, which ended in the first of seven Tour victories for American Lance Armstrong. Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson September 18 1971 is an American professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam Team Astana After his 6 week recovery, Ullrich set his targets on the world time trial championships in October by riding the Vuelta.

1999 Vuelta a España

On the first mountain stage, Ullrich narrowly won against the defending Vuelta a España champion Abraham Olano of Team ONCE in a group sprint that included Frank Vandenbroucke, Roberto Heras and Davide Rebellin. The Vuelta a España ( English: Tour of Spain) is a three-week Road bicycle racing Stage race that is one of the three " Grand Tours Abraham Olano Manzano (born on January 22, 1970 in Anoeta) Gipuzkoa is a Spanish former professional Road racing cyclist ONCE cycling team, also known as Liberty Seguros, Liberty Seguros-Würth and in succession in its final year Astana-Würth and Astana was Frank Vandenbroucke (born November 6, 1974 in Ploegsteert) nicknamed VDB is a professional Belgian Road racing cyclist Roberto Heras Hernández (born 1 February 1974 in Béjar, Spain) is a Spanish former professional Road bicycle racer Davide Rebellin (born 9 August 1971 in San Bonifacio, Province of Verona) is an Italian Road bicycle racer. Olano took the leaders golden amarillo jersey with Ullrich second overall. Olano won the following stage which was an Individual time trial with almost one minute over Ullrich and further increased his lead in stage 8. An individual time trial (ITT is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French contre la montre - literally "against On stage 11, Ullrich gained 30 seconds back on Olano. Ullrich took the lead on stage 12 which was won by Igor González de Galdeano, Olano cracked and finished over 7 minutes behind Ullrich. Igor González de Galdeano Aranzabal (born November 1, 1973 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country) is a Spanish former professional González had moved into second overall and became a threat to Ullrich. On stage 18 there was a concerted effort by the Banesto team and other Spanish teams to crack Ullrich who struggled on the early part of the final climb of the stage but recovered well to limit his losses to González. Banesto (officially Banco Español de Crédito SA, "Spanish credit bank") is a Spanish bank 88 In the final Individual time trial, Ullrich stamped his authority with a dominating win by almost three minutes over the second placed rider on the stage and building his overall lead to over four minutes on González. An individual time trial (ITT is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French contre la montre - literally "against Ullrich won his second major grand Tour. Several weeks later Ullrich became the world time trial champion with a convincing but not overwhelming ride over Sweden's Michael Andersson and Briton Chris Boardman. Chris Boardman (born 26 August 1968 in Hoylake) is a former English racing Cyclist who won an Individual pursuit Gold

The eternal second behind Lance Armstrong

The 2000 Tour de France saw former champions Ullrich and Marco Pantani and defending champion Armstrong line up against each other for the first time. The 2000 Tour de France was the 87th Tour de France, and took place from July 1 to July 23 2000 Marco Pantani ( January 13, 1970 &ndash February 14, 2004) was an Italian Road racing cyclist widely regarded as being one However, Armstrong proved too strong to upstage, claiming his second Tour win. Armstrong would win again in the 2001 Tour de France, despite Ullrich arriving at the Tour obviously in form, finishing in fourth place just three seconds behind third-place Armstrong in the opening prologue. The 2001 Tour de France was relatively short but also difficult with a number of heavy mountain stages a team time trial and a climbing time trial His ride in the 2001 Tour was memorable for his crash during which Armstrong waited for him to return to his bike. In interviews, Ullrich cited his failures to defeat Armstrong despite his preparations as his reasons for falling into depression in the next year.

Medal record
Competitor for  Germany
Road bicycle racing
Olympic Games
Gold	2000 Sydney	Road Race
Silver	2000 Sydney	Time Trial
World Championships
Gold	1999 Verona	Elite Men's Time Trial
Gold	2001 Lisbon	Elite Men's Time Trial

Despite his failure to ascend the top of the podium in the Tour de France, Ullrich delivered an outstanding performance in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Road bicycle racing is a popular Bicycle racing Sport held on roads (following the Geography of the area using Racing bicycles The The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games "I am proud and happy to proclaim that you have presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever At the 2000 Summer Olympics, 3 different Bicycle racing disciplines were contested Road cycling, Track cycling, and Mountain biking "I am proud and happy to proclaim that you have presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever At the 2000 Summer Olympics, 3 different Bicycle racing disciplines were contested Road cycling, Track cycling, and Mountain biking The 1999 UCI Road World Championships took place in Treviso and Verona, Italy, between October 3 and October 10, 1999 The 2001 UCI Road World Championships took place in Lisbon, Portugal, between October 9 and October 14, 2001. "I am proud and happy to proclaim that you have presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. After establishing a 3-man breakaway with Telekom teammates Andreas Klöden and Alexandre Vinokourov, Ullrich won the gold medal with Vinokourov, in second place, and Klöden rounding out the all-Telekom podium. Andreas Klöden (born June 22 1975 in Mittweida) is a German professional Road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour Team Astana. Alexander Nikolaevich Vinokourov, also written Alexandre Vinokourov, (Алексaндр Николаевич Винокуров born September 16, 1973 He established himself as a world-class time trialist by winning the Silver medal in the individual time-trial event, losing by a small margin to Viatcheslav Ekimov and beating rival Armstrong into third place. Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov ( Russian Вячеслав Владимирович Екимов; born February 4, 1966 in Vyborg

In May 2002, Ullrich temporarily had his driver's license revoked after a drunk driving incident. Driving under the influence of alcohol ( driving while intoxicated, drunk driving, drinking and driving, drink-driving) or other drugs ^[7] After a positive blood sample for amphetamine in June of 2002,^[8] Ullrich's contract with Team Telekom was ended, and he was banned for 6 months. Amphetamine, and related drugs such as Methamphetamine are a group of drugs that act by increasing levels of Norepinephrine, Serotonin, and Dopamine He explained that the positive result was from ingesting the recreational drug ecstasy, which had been cut with amphetamine. MDMA ( 34-methylenedioxy- N -methylamphetamine) most commonly known today by the street name Ecstasy (often abbreviated E, X, ^[9] He had not been racing since January due to a recurring knee injury^[10], and the German Cycling Federation's disciplinary committee agreed that he was not attempting to use the drug for performance enhancement, so he was only given a minimum suspension. The German Cycling Federation or BDR (in German: Bund Deutscher Radfahrer) is the national governing body of cycle racing in ^[11]

In January 2003, Ullrich and his longtime advisor Rudy Pevenage joined the Team Coast outfit,^[12] but after severe financial problems, Coast pulled its sponsorship, and Team Bianchi was formed. Rudy Pevenage ( Moerbeke, June 15 1954) is a former Belgian Cyclist, and later in his career team coach of Cycling teams Team Bianchi was a makeshift team that was put together from the remnants of the Coast team in time for the 2003 Tour de France. Team Bianchi was a makeshift team that was put together from the remnants of the Coast team in time for the 2003 Tour de France. He finally returned to racing in March of 2003, preparing for the Tour de France.

The 2003 Tour de France would become a memorable one. The 2003 Tour de France started and ended in Paris. Lasting from July 5 to July 27 the race covered 3350 km (2081 Nobody, including Ullrich himself, knew what to expect from him after such hectic years. For the first time in years he was not considered one of the top favorites; however, Armstrong still considered him very dangerous. In the first week, Ullrich got sick and almost retired from the race. In the Alps stages Ullrich lost one and a half minutes on Armstrong and his Tour seemed lost. In the 12th stage, Ullrich fought back hard in the time trial, as he became the only one to finish within an hour. Armstrong was overpowered and had trouble with the heat, and lost one and a half minutes to Ullrich. Ullrich now found himself within a minute of Armstrong in the classification. The next day, he closed the gap in the first mountain stage by another 19 seconds and the clash would become epic: Ullrich seemed stronger than ever as he was able to stay with Armstrong in the mountains. Two days later Ullrich was able to ride away from Armstrong on the Tourmalet, but he could not sustain his pace and Armstrong caught up. In the final climb of that stage Ullrich dictated the pace, and it seemed that Armstrong was not in the condition to attack. More than half way into the climb, Armstrong's handlebar got caught in a spectator's bag and he fell. Ullrich decided not to take advantage of the situation and waited, as is common in cycling when a contender crashes. Armstrong caught up to the group within a few minutes, and then attacked shortly afterwards. For some time, whether Ullrich waited for Armstrong to remount was subject of intense debate, although Ullrich himself asserted that he did indeed wait and did not attack. In a recent interview Armstrong admitted that Ullrich did wait for him, and that Armstrong himself had been misled at the time by Tyler Hamilton's gesture and assertion that Ullrich had not waited. Tyler Hamilton (born March 1 1971, Marblehead Massachusetts) is an American professional Road bicycle racer and Olympic

According to Armstrong, his fall gave him such an adrenaline boost that he could attack. Ullrich lost 40 seconds in the final kilometers, but all was not over: the 2nd, and final, time trial would be decisive. In that time trial, Ullrich suffered a dramatic crash and saw a potential stage and tour victory disappear. In the general classification, Ullrich ended 2nd with a gap of just 61 seconds in one of the greatest Tours de France in history.

Ullrich's remarkable comeback was acknowledged by the Germans as they gave him the sportsman of the year award later that year.

In terms of finishes, Ullrich could be compared with Raymond Poulidor, who was called the "eternal second" (with the difference that Poulidor never won the Tour de France). Raymond Poulidor, nicknamed Poupou (born 15 April, 1936 at Masbaraud-Mérignat in the Creuse Département of France) is Also like Poulidor, Ullrich has not donned the Maillot jaune since 1998. The Yellow jersey (Maillot jaune majo ʒoːn is the jersey worn by the leader of many multi-stage bicycle races originally and most notably the Tour de France A better comparison would probably be to Joop Zoetemelk, who won the Tour once as well and finished in second place six times, only once more than Ullrich. Hendrik Gerardus Jozef "Joop" Zoetemelk (born December 3, 1946 in Rijpwetering) is a retired Cyclist from The Netherlands

For the 2004 season, Ullrich returned to Team Telekom (now named T-Mobile, after a popular division of Deutsche Telekom). T-Mobile is a Mobile network operator headquartered in Bonn, Germany. Ullrich won the Tour de Suisse during his preparation for the Tour de France. The Tour de Suisse ( English: Tour of Switzerland) is a UCI ProTour stage race held annually in June In the 2004 Tour de France, he finished in fourth place, 8:50 behind Armstrong. Stages Jersey progress Teams 188 riders in 21 teams started 147 riders finished It was Ullrich's first finish lower than second. T-Mobile teammate Andreas Klöden finished second, and Ivan Basso third. Andreas Klöden (born June 22 1975 in Mittweida) is a German professional Road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour Team Astana. Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian professional Road bicycle racer who is currently suspended but has signed with Italian Ullrich said that he had been infected by a cold from his year old baby daughter, and was not able to ride to his full capacity.

Jan Ullrich in Hanover. Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen

For 2005, Ullrich again captained the talented T-Mobile squad. As was his normal routine to prepare for the Tour de France, Ullrich maintained a low profile for much of the 2005 early season campaign, surfacing to test his preparedness in the 2005 Tour de Suisse, in which he finished third after Aitor González (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Michael Rogers (Quick Step-Innergetic). The Tour de Suisse ( English: Tour of Switzerland) is a UCI ProTour stage race held annually in June Aitor González Jiménez (born February 27 1975 in Zumárraga, Basque Country) is a former professional Spanish Road bicycle Euskaltel-Euskadi ( UCI Team Code EUS) is a professional Road bicycle racing team Michael Rogers (born 20 December, 1979 in Barham New South Wales) is an Australian professional Road bicycle racer who currently Quick Step ( UCI Team Code QST) is a Belgian UCI ProTour Cycling team led by team manager Patrick Lefevere.

Ullrich has been constantly criticized, and sometimes parodied, for his weight, especially for his big gains in the winter but has maintained that he always races it off in time for the Tour. Compared to his perennial rival, Lance Armstrong, Ullrich has been said to have a greater natural talent and perhaps a more advantageous physiology that would prevail were it not for Armstrong's supposedly unique training regimen and the dedication of his team to working solely for him at all times. Physiology (from Greek grc φύσις physis, "nature origin" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study of the mechanical physical Armstrong has conceded that it was Ullrich whom he considered to be his most dangerous rival, going as far as admitting that he would examine photos of Ullrich in the early season races to see how his form was developing.

The day before the 2005 Tour de France, during a training ride, Ullrich crashed horrifically: he was closely following (drafting) his team car when it was forced to make an emergency stop when a vehicle unexpectedly pulled out in front if it. He was unable to stop and plowed through the back windshield, narrowly avoiding cutting a major artery by mere millimetres and ending up in the back seat of the car covered in glass and blood - he was not wearing a helmet at the time. He was extremely lucky not to be killed.

Less than 24 hours later a stitched and post trauma-shocked Ullrich was passed by Lance Armstrong in the first stage time trial after starting a minute before him, causing speculation that he was once more doomed to be beaten by the American. Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson September 18 1971 is an American professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam Team Astana Ullrich fell again in the mountains, bruising his ribs. During several other pivotal moments in the Tour, he could not keep up with Armstrong or Ivan Basso. Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian professional Road bicycle racer who is currently suspended but has signed with Italian Ullrich began focusing on finishing ahead of the surprise star of the mountains, Michael Rasmussen, for a podium position in the general classification. Michael Rasmussen (born June 1 1974 in Tølløse) is a Danish professional Road bicycle racer who last rode for the Dutch The 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd Tour de France, taking place from July 2 to July 24 2005 At the individual time trials nearing the end of the 2005 Tour de France Ullrich had a stellar time trial, demolishing the competition, save Lance Armstrong who came through to set an even quicker time near the end of the stage. The 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd Tour de France, taking place from July 2 to July 24 2005 Rasmussen, who is not considered to be a good time trialist, had a terrible time trial, consisting of several crashes and around five bike changes, which ultimately gave Ullrich a podium place in the Tour de France.

Post-Armstrong

Armstrong retired after the Tour de France in 2005. At the same time, Ullrich also speculated about retiring, but decided to ride for one or two more years^[13]. Ullrich seemed more motivated than ever to win at least one more Grand Tour (either the Tour, Giro or Vuelta ). Notorious for coming out of the winter with serious weight problems (see above) and in bad condition, he began his preparation for the 2006 season early, with his mentor Rudy Pevanage finally back in the T-mobile staff and watching his every move. Early reports indicated that Jan was indeed in much better shape than in previous years and would be ready for what could be his second victory in the Tour de France. Ullrich finished 115th in the Tour de Romandie on April 30. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule However, Jan injured his knee in the off season and this could have limited his performance in the 2006 Tour de France, had he participated (see below).

In May, riding in the 2006 Giro d'Italia, not to win but to prepare himself for the Tour de France, Ullrich targeted the Stage 11 50km ITT, and won it by a decisive 28 seconds over Maglia Rosa Ivan Basso, who beat 3rd placed Marco Pinotti by another 33 seconds (which means Ullrich beat everyone except for Basso by over a minute). The Giro d'Italia ( Tour of Italy) also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance Road bicycle racing Stage race for professional An individual time trial (ITT is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French contre la montre - literally "against The Giro d'Italia ( Tour of Italy) also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance Road bicycle racing Stage race for professional Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian professional Road bicycle racer who is currently suspended but has signed with Italian Marco Pinotti (born February 25, 1976 in Osio Sotto, Lombardy) is an Italian Road racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam Only five riders were able to finish within two minutes of Ullrich's time.

Ullrich dropped out of the Giro during Stage 19, with back pain. Team Director Rudy Pevenage stated that the problem was not bad but merely as a precaution to avoid possible Tour de France problems.

He won the Tour de Suisse for a second time in preparation for the Tour de France, winning the final time trial in decisive and dramatic fashion jumping from third to first in the GC. The Tour de Suisse ( English: Tour of Switzerland) is a UCI ProTour stage race held annually in June

Operación Puerto doping case

In the weeks prior to the 2006 Tour de France, Ullrich's name was mentioned in a large Spanish doping scandal, nicknamed Operación Puerto doping case. The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23 2006 The Operación Puerto doping case (meaning Operation Mountain Pass) is a Spanish doping case against doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and a number of accomplices Ullrich himself has always denied the rumors. However on 30 June 2006, one day before the start, he was suspended from participating in the Tour de France. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[14]

Ullrich's biggest rival (according to many experts) Team CSC's Ivan Basso, who finished 2nd in 2005, and several other riders were also excluded. Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian professional Road bicycle racer who is currently suspended but has signed with Italian The decision to exclude Ullrich could be based on several text messages from his mentor, Rudy Pevenage, with Doctor Fuentes. Ullrich himself stated that he has nothing to do with Fuentes and he will try to prove this. If found guilty by the doping authorities, Ullrich faces an almost certain career-ending suspension.

On 20 July 2006, Jan Ullrich was fired from T-Mobile in relation to the aforementioned accusations. Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. T-Mobile general manager Olaf Ludwig announced the news during the 18th stage of the Tour de France between Morzine and Macon. Ullrich published a statement on his website saying that his dismissal was 'unacceptable. '

"I am very disappointed that this decision was not communicated to me personally but that it was faxed to my lawyers," Ullrich added. "I find it shameful that, after so many years of good cooperation and after all I have done for the team, I am being treated as a fax number. "

Rumors linked Ullrich with Discovery Channel, as well as with fellow retired cyclist Lance Armstrong. Discovery Channel is an American Satellite and Cable TV channel (also delivered via IPTV, Terrestrial television and Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson September 18 1971 is an American professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam Team Astana Discovery Channel opted for Levi Leipheimer instead, as the future of Ullrich remained uncertain. Levi Leipheimer (born October 24 1973 in Butte Montana) is an American professional Road bicycle racer who rides with UCI ProTeam Team Astana

During an interview on August 3, 2006, doping expert Werner Franke claimed that Ullrich purchased about €35,000 worth of doping products a year based on documents uncovered in the Operación Puerto doping case. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Werner Franke (born 1940 in Paderborn, Germany) is a Professor of cell and Molecular biology at the German Cancer Research Center Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e The Operación Puerto doping case (meaning Operation Mountain Pass) is a Spanish doping case against doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and a number of accomplices ^[15] A German court imposed a gag order on Franke after it found there was not enough evidence to link Ullrich to doping. A gag order (or suppression order) is an order sometimes a legal order by a court or government other times a private order by an employer or other institution restricting ^[16] On September 14, 2006 German officials raided Ullrich's house and spent several hours collecting DNA material while Ullrich was honeymooning with his new wife Sara. Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. On 4 April 2007, it was announced that Ullrich's DNA sample, had "without a doubt" matched 9 bags of blood that were taken from Eufemiano Fuentes' office. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Dr Eufemiano Fuentes (born 1945 is a Spanish sports doctor best known for being implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case. ^[17]

On October 18, 2006, Ullrich had laid off his personal physiotherapist Birgit Krohme. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Speculations quickly rose that this was a sign that Ullrich had given up hope of returning to racing. Ullrich denied these rumors, however. On 25 October 2006, a document from the Spanish court appeared on Ullrich's website which stated that no charges would be filed against him. Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

On Monday, February 26, 2007, after months of speculation, Ullrich announced his retirement from cycling. Events 747 BC - Epoch (origin of Ptolemy 's Nabonassar Era 364 - Valentinian I is proclaimed Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. At the press conference in Hamburg he said, "Today, I'm ending my career as a professional cyclist. I never once cheated as a cyclist," and revealed that he would remain tied to professional cycling as an advisor to Team Volksbank. Team Volksbank ( UCI Team Code: VBG) is a professional continental Cycling team based in Austria that participates in UCI Continental Circuits

See also

• List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences

Signature bike frame line

In May 2006 Ullrich launched a signature bike frame line, the "Jan Ullrich Collection"^[18], which he helped to develop. There are three models catering for all types of cyclist, from enthusiast to pro. They take their names after significant times in Jan's career. The 'Campione', the 'Olymp' after his Gold and Silver Olympic medals, and finally, the 'Grand Tour' after his Tour de France victory in 1997. They range in price from 1395 to 2995 Euros and are available only as frames (not as complete bikes).

Quotes

• "I have seen many lean riders in the peloton, but very few Tour winners", in response to criticism about his weight.
• "My motivation doesn't come from rivals, but because I love cycling. That's what motivates me…. I don't get my motivation by putting the picture of my rival on the mirror"
• "Totally fucked up", replying to a journalist who asked him how he felt after winning stage 12 of the 2003 Tour de France. The 2003 Tour de France started and ended in Paris. Lasting from July 5 to July 27 the race covered 3350 km (2081

Palmarès

References

External links

• Official Homepage
• Jan Ullrich at the Internet Movie Database

Awards
Preceded by Frank Busemann	German Sportsman of the Year 1997	Succeeded by Georg Hackl
Preceded by Sven Hannawald	German Sportsman of the Year 2003	Succeeded by Michael Schumacher
Preceded by Johan Museeuw	Vélo d'Or 1997	Succeeded by Marco Pantani
Sporting positions
Preceded by Abraham Olano	Winner of the Vuelta a España 1999	Succeeded by Roberto Heras
Preceded by Bjarne Riis	Winner of the Tour de France 1997	Succeeded by Marco Pantani
Preceded by Abraham Olano	World Time Trial Champion 1999	Succeeded by Serhiy Honchar
Preceded by Serhiy Honchar	World Time Trial Champion 2001	Succeeded by Santiago Botero