Jan Ullrich

Jan Ullrich at Giro d'Italia in 2006
Personal information
Full name	Jan Ullrich
Nickname	Ulle
Date of birth	December 2, 1973 (age 33)
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, now Germany) is a retired German professional road bicycle racer. In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. He went on to achieve five second place finishes, along with a fourth place (2004) and a third place finish (2005). In late February, 2007, he announced his retirement at a press conference. Critics consider Ullrich as one of the most talented riders of all time: he can combine great power with a soft, athletic style, with his time trials as perfect examples. Despite, or perhaps because of this talent, critics consider Ullrich to be "lazy" as he was notorious for becoming out of shape during the off season. Image File history File linksMetadata Jan_Ullrich. ... The Giro dItalia, also simply known as the Giro, is a long distance road bicycle race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May or early June in and around Italy. ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Rostock is a city in northern Germany. ... GDR redirects here. ... Road bicycle racing is a popular bicycle racing sport held on the road (following the geography of the area), using racing bicycles. ... The Tour de France is the worlds best known cycling race, a three week long road race that covers a circuit of most areas around France, and sometimes neighbouring countries. ...

Ullrich won a gold and a silver medal in the Olympics 2000 in Sydney, as well as the 1999 Vuelta a España. 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. His victorious ride in the 1997 Tour de France led to a bicycle sports boom in Germany. The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... The Vuelta a España bicycle race is one of the three Grand Tours of Europe and, after the Tour de France and the Giro dItalia, is the third most important road cycling stage race in the world. ... Before the start of the 2004 HEW Cyclassics The HEW Cyclassics is an annual one-day pro and amateur cycling race in and around Hamburg. ... Hamburg from above Hamburgs motto: May the posterity endeavour with dignity to conserve the freedom, which the forefathers acquired. ... The Clasica San Sebastian is a bicycle race held every summer since 1981 in the Basque region of Spain. ... The 1997 Tour de France was the 84th Tour de France, it took place July 5–27, 1997. ...

Biography

Early training

Ullrich won his first bicycle race at school at the age of nine. He was educated in the sports training system of the German Democratic Republic, and attended the SC Dynamo sports school in Berlin in 1986. After the fall of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany, Ullrich and his trainer, Peter Sager, moved to Hamburg. GDR redirects here. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... East German construction workers building the Berlin Wall, 20 November 1961. ... Hamburg from above Hamburgs motto: May the posterity endeavour with dignity to conserve the freedom, which the forefathers acquired. ...

In 1993, Ullrich surprisingly won the amateurs road world championship in Oslo. At the same time, Lance Armstrong won the professional world championship. County Oslo NO-03 District Viken Municipality NO-0301 Administrative centre Oslo Mayor (2004) Per Ditlev-Simonsen (H) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 224 454 km² 426 km² 0. ... Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18, 1971 in Plano, Texas) is a retired American professional road racing cyclist. ...

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 baby, Sarah. They moved to Scherzingen, Switzerland in 2002. 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. Jan Ullrich leading the T-Mobile team in the team time trial stage of the 2004 Tour de France T-Mobile Team is an international professional road bicycle racing team. ... Deutschlandtour 2005 Tobias Steinhauser (* 27 January 1972 in Lindenberg im Allgäu) is a former German cyclist and brother-in-law of Jan Ullrich, who is married to his sister Sara. ...

Early Professional Career

1994 with Peter Becker acting as his agent, Ullrich signed for the Telekom team under Belgian manager Walter Godefroot. He then finished third behind winner Chris Boardman of Britain in the world time trial championship in Sicily.^[1] Walter Godefroot (born 2 July 1943) is a retired Belgian professional road bicycle racer and former directeur sportif of the T-Mobile Team, a professional cycling team. ... Chris Boardman (born August 26, 1968) is a former English racing cyclist who won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games. ...

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. He also achieved some top ten placings on stages of the 1995 Tour de Suisse. He had wanted to start the 1995 Tour de France but Telekom team director Walter Godefroot thought it was too early. Instead he went to the small german stage race, the Hofbrau Cup, where he ended 3rd overall. 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 time. ... The Tour of Switzerland (Tour de Suisse) is a ProTour bicycle race held annually in June. ... The Tour de France is the worlds best known cycling race, a three week long road race that covers a circuit of most areas around France, and sometimes neighbouring countries. ...

1996 Tour de France

Jan 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. He stayed within the top twenty until the first day in the mountains on stage 7 when Miguel Indurain famously cracked. Jan finished 30 seconds back, 22 behind his teammate Bjarne Riis while Indurain finished over 4 minutes down. 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. However, he won the final individual time trial and secured himself his first Tour stage win. Not only did he win the time trial ahead of Miguel Indurain and Abraham Olano, he cut 2 minutes 18 seconds into Riis'es lead in the general classification. This lead to the comment by Indurain that Jan would win the Tour some day adding "it's quite remarkable when you think that he has been helping Riis all the time." Jan dismissed suggestions he would have done better if he had not had to help Riis saying that Riis had inspired the whole team. Jan finished his first tour in second place at 1 minute 41 seconds from his teammate Bjarne Riis. The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, it took place June 29 - July 21, 1996. ... Miguel Ángel Indurain Larraya (born July 16, 1964, Villava, Navarre) is a retired Spanish road bicycle racer. ... Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (born April 3, 1964), nicknamed the Eagle from Herning (Danish: Ørnen fra Herning), was a Danish professional road bicycle racer who won the 1996 Tour de France, and is now the team owner and manager of Danish UCI ProTour outfit Team CSC. Other career highlights include... Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (born April 3, 1964), nicknamed the Eagle from Herning (Danish: Ørnen fra Herning), was a Danish professional road bicycle racer who won the 1996 Tour de France, and is now the team owner and manager of Danish UCI ProTour outfit Team CSC. Other career highlights include... 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 watch). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials (TTT). ... Miguel Ángel Indurain Larraya (born July 16, 1964, Villava, Navarre) is a retired Spanish road bicycle racer. ... Ábraham Olano Manzano (born on January 22, 1970 in Anoeta, Spain) was a professional cyclist from Spain. ... Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (born April 3, 1964), nicknamed the Eagle from Herning (Danish: Ørnen fra Herning), was a Danish professional road bicycle racer who won the 1996 Tour de France, and is now the team owner and manager of Danish UCI ProTour outfit Team CSC. Other career highlights include...

1997 Tour de France

Ullrich with teammate Udo Bölts crossing the Vosges mountains during the 1997 Tour de 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. Despite being a teammate of the previous year's winner Bjarne Riis, Ullrich quickly became the favorite in the 1997 Tour de France. He started strongly, finishing second in the prologue behind Chris Boardman. On the first mountain stage, when Riis failed to respond to an attack by Richard Virenque and Marco Pantani, Ullrich chased after them. On the second stage, while Riis was falling back as the pace was hotting 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, over a minute ahead of Pantani and Virenque which earned him his first yellow jersey, at which the German press started following the Tour more closely. On the stage to the Alpe d'Huez, Marco Pantani launched a devastating attack. Ullrich who was 9 minutes ahead of Pantani in the general classification produced a great ride to limit his losses to only 47 seconds. Again on the Morzine stage, Pantani attacked and won the stage while Ullrich once again was able to limit his time losses. For 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"). Ullrich won another stage in the Tour and became the first German to be the overall winner. He also became the only person in Tour history to win a time trial with a three minute gap between him and the number two. At the age of 23, Ullrich was also one of the youngest winners ever. He was chosen "sports person of the year" in Germany in 1997. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (837x576, 61 KB) Summary I took this pic as the 1997 Tour de France was passing through the Vosges mountains. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (837x576, 61 KB) Summary I took this pic as the 1997 Tour de France was passing through the Vosges mountains. ... The Tour de France is the worlds best known cycling race, a three week long road race that covers a circuit of most areas around France, and sometimes neighbouring countries. ... The Tour of Switzerland (Tour de Suisse) is a ProTour bicycle race held annually in June. ... Road racing can be a term involving road running, road bicycle races, or automobile races. ... The 1997 Tour de France was the 84th Tour de France, it took place July 5–27, 1997. ... Chris Boardman (born August 26, 1968) is a former English racing cyclist who won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games. ... Richard Virenque (born November 19, 1969 in Casablanca, Morocco) is a retired French professional bicyclist. ... Marco Pantani (January 13, 1970, Cesena – February 14, 2004, Rimini) was an Italian cyclist widely regarded as being one of the best climbers of all times in professional road bicycle racing. ... Maillot jaune (French for yellow jersey) is the t-shirt worn by the current overall leader of many bicycles races, originally and most notably the Tour de France. ... Alpe dHuez is a mountain at in the Central French Alps, located on the territory of the commune of Huez, in the Isère département. ... Marco Pantani (January 13, 1970, Cesena – February 14, 2004, Rimini) was an Italian cyclist widely regarded as being one of the best climbers of all times in professional road bicycle racing. ... LEquipe logo LÉquipe (French for the team) is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports. ...

The eternal second

Ullrich was the defending champion of the 1998 Tour de France. He again obtained the yellow jersey, but he had an off day day in the rainy mountains, where he lost too much time on the later champion and natural born climber Pantani. The Tour of 1998 was haunted by doping affairs, giving it the nickname "Tour de Dopage". Marco Pantani (January 13, 1970 – February 14, 2004) was an Italian cyclist widely regarded as being one of the best climbers of all times in professional road bicycle racing. ...

The following year, he missed the 1999 Tour de France — which was won for the first time by American Lance Armstrong — due to a knee injury. However, he returned in time to win the 1999 Vuelta a España, defeating the Spanish favourite Abraham Olano of Team ONCE. He also became the world time trial champion, which made up for his somewhat lost season. Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18, 1971 in Plano, Texas) is a retired American professional road racing cyclist. ... Ábraham Olano Manzano (born on January 22, 1970 in Anoeta, Spain) was a professional cyclist from Spain. ... ONCE (pronounced own-say), or Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles, is a Spanish national charity lottery founded on December 13, 1938 to raise funds and provide services for the blind. ...

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. However, Armstrong proved too strong to upstage, as he did again in the 2001 Tour de France despite Ullrich wearing the jersey of the German National Champion, and the fact that he arrived at the Tour obviously in form, finishing in fourth place just three seconds behind third place Armstrong in the opening prologue. 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. The 2000 Tour de France was won by Lance Armstrong. ... Marco Pantani (January 13, 1970, Cesena – February 14, 2004, Rimini) was an Italian cyclist widely regarded as being one of the best climbers of all times in professional road bicycle racing. ... The Tour de France of 2001 was relatively short, but also difficult, with a number of heavy mountain stages, a team time trial and a climbing 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. After establishing a 3-man breakaway with Telekom teammates Andreas Klöden and Alexandre Vinokourov, Ullrich won the gold medal with Kloden and Vinokourov rounding out the all-Telekom podium. 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 to third place. Police officer on a bicycle Cycling is a recreation, a sport and a means of transport across land. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... At the 2000 Summer Olympics, 3 different Bicycle racing disciplines were contested: Road cycling, Track cycling, and Mountain biking. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... At the 2000 Summer Olympics, 3 different Bicycle racing disciplines were contested: Road cycling, Track cycling, and Mountain biking. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4. ... Andreas Klöden, (born 22 June 1975 in Mittweida, Germany), is a professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour T-Mobile Team. ... Alexander Vinokourov, also written Alexandre Vinokourov, (born 1973) is a Kazakh cyclist. ... Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov (Russian Вячеслав Владимирович Екимов; born February 4, 1966 in Vyborg near St Petersburg, Russia), nicknamed Eki, became a professional bicycle racer in 1990. ...

In May of 2002, Ullrich temporarily had his driver's license revoked after a drunk driving incident.^[2] After a positive blood sample for amphetamine in June of 2002,^[3] Ullrich's contract with Team Telekom was ended, and he was banned for 6 months. He explained that the positive result was from ingesting the recreational drug ecstasy, which had been cut with amphetamine.^[4] He had not been racing since January due to a recurring knee injury^[5], 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.^[6] For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Drunk driving (drink driving in the UK) or drinking and driving is the act of operating a motor vehicle after having consumed alcohol (i. ... Amphetamine (alpha-methyl-phenethylamine), is a stimulant that is now primarily used to treat narcolepsy and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. ... MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), most commonly known by the street names ecstasy or XTC (for more names see the full list), is a synthetic entactogen of the phenethylamine family, whose primary effect is believed to be the stimulation of secretion as well as inhibition of re-uptake of large amounts... BDR logo The German Cycling Federation or BDR (in German: Bund Deutscher Radfahrer) is the national governing body of cycle racing in Germany. ... Doping drugs on display at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland In sports, doping refers to the use of performance-enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids, particularly those that are forbidden by the organizations that regulate competitions. ...

In January of 2003, Ullrich and his longtime advisor Rudy Pevenage joined the Team Coast outfit,^[7] but after severe financial problems, Coast pulled its sponsorship, and Team Bianchi was formed. He finally returned to racing in March of 2003, preparing for the Tour de France. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rudy Pevenage (Moerbeke, June 15, 1954) is a former Belgian cyclist, and later in his career team coach of cycling teams such as Histor, La William, Team Bianchi and T-Mobile Team. ... 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 is a makeshift team that was put together from the remnants of the Coast team in time for the 2003 Tour de France. ...

The Tour de France of 2003 would become a memorable one. 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. For some time, whether Jan 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 Tyler Hamilton (born March 1, 1971 in Marblehead, Massachusetts) is an American professional road bicycle racer. ...

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, Jan Ullrich could be compared with Raymond Poulidor, who was called the "eternal second" (with the difference that Poulidor never won the Tour de France). Also like Poulidor, Ullrich has not donned the Maillot jaune since 1998. 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. Raymond Poulidor, often nick-named Pou Pou (born April 15, 1936, Masbaraud-Merignat, France), was a professional bicycle racer. ... Commercial version of maillot jaune, 2004 Maillot jaune (French for yellow jersey, pronounced my-oh zhohn) is the jersey worn by the current overall leader of many bicycle races, originally and most notably the Tour de France. ... Gerardus Joseph (Joop) Zoetemelk is a Dutch cyclist. ...

For the 2004 season, Ullrich returned to Team Telekom (now named T-Mobile, after a popular division of Deutsche Telekom). Ullrich won the Tour de Suisse during his preparation for the Tour de France. In the 2004 Tour de France, he finished in fourth place, 8:50 behind Armstrong. It was Ullrich's first finish lower than second. T-Mobile teammate Andreas Klöden finished second, and Ivan Basso third. Ullrich said that he had been infected by a cold from his newborn baby, and was not able to ride to his full capacity. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... T-Mobile logo T-Mobile is a multinational mobile phone operator. ... The Tour of Switzerland (Tour de Suisse) is a ProTour bicycle race held annually in June. ... The 91st Tour de France (July 3 - July 25, 2004). ... Andreas Klöden, (born 22 June 1975 in Mittweida, Germany), is a professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour T-Mobile Team. ... Ivan Basso (born November 26, 1977) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, most recently riding for Team CSC. Basso is among the best mountain riders in the professional field of the 2000s, and is considered one of the strongest stage race riders. ...

Jan Ullrich in Hanover.

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 (Team Euskaltel) and Michael Rogers (Team Quick Step-Innergetic). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1685x1264, 448 KB) Description: Germany Hannover Nacht von Hannover T-Mobile Team Jan Ullrich Date: 2005-07-29 photographer: Heidas Wikipedia account All pictures please use this discussion page File links The following pages link to this file: Jan Ullrich ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1685x1264, 448 KB) Description: Germany Hannover Nacht von Hannover T-Mobile Team Jan Ullrich Date: 2005-07-29 photographer: Heidas Wikipedia account All pictures please use this discussion page File links The following pages link to this file: Jan Ullrich ... Hanover (German: Hannover ( ) []), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ... The Tour of Switzerland (Tour de Suisse) is a ProTour bicycle race held annually in June. ... This article describes the Spanish cyclist Aitor Gonzales Aitor González (born February 27, 1975 in Zumárraga, Spain), is an active professional Spanish cyclist. ... Euskaltel is a telecommunications company based in the Spanish autonomous community Basque Country, with its headquarters in Bilbao. ... This article is about the cyclist Michael Rogers, for the American congressmen called Mike Rogers, see: Mike Rogers Michael Rogers, often called Mick Rogers or Dodger, (born 1979) is an Australian cycle racer. ... Quick Step-Innergetic is a Belgian UCI ProTour team led by team manager Patrick Lefevre. ...

Ullrich is constantly criticized, and sometimes parodied, for his weight, especially for large gains in the winter, but he maintains that he always races it off in time for the Tour. Compared to his perennial rival, Lance Armstrong, Ullrich has been said to have perhaps a more advantageous physiology that would prevail were it not for the near-maniacal training regimen of Armstrong, but this is debatable. Armstrong himself admitted that it is Ullrich whom he considers 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. Leonardo da Vincis Vitruvian Man, an important early achievement in the study of physiology. ...

The day before the 2005 Tour de France, during a training ride, Ullrich crashed. He was closely following (drafting) his accompanying team car when it stopped unexpectedly. He was unable to stop and plowed into the back windshield, narrowly avoiding cutting a major artery by several millimetres. He was not wearing a helmet at the time. This article is about the racing technique. ...

During the 2005 Tour de France, 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. 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. Ullrich began focusing on finishing ahead of the surprise star of the mountains, Michael Rasmussen, for a podium position in the general classification. 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. Rasmussen had a terrible time trial, which consisted of several crashes and around five bike changes, which ultimately gave Ullrich a podium place in the Tour de France. Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18, 1971 in Plano, Texas) is a retired American professional road racing cyclist. ... Ivan Basso (born November 26, 1977) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, most recently riding for Team CSC. Basso is among the best mountain riders in the professional field of the 2000s, and is considered one of the strongest stage race riders. ... Michael Rasmussen (born June 1, 1974 in Tølløse) is a Danish professional road bicycle racer who rides for Dutch team Rabobank. ... The 92nd Tour de France was held from July 2 to July 24, 2005. ... The 92nd Tour de France was held from July 2 to July 24, 2005. ...

Post-Armstrong

Lance Armstrong retired after the Tour de France in 2005. ^[8]. However, he 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. 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). April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ...

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). Only five riders were able to finish within two minutes of Ullrich's time. The Giro dItalia, also simply known as the Giro, is a long distance road bicycle race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May or early June in and around Italy. ... 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 watch). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials (TTT). ... The maglia rosa (pink jersey) is awarded to the leader of the General Classification at Giro dItalia. ... Ivan Basso (born November 26, 1977) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, most recently riding for Team CSC. Basso is among the best mountain riders in the professional field of the 2000s, and is considered one of the strongest stage race riders. ... Marco Pinotti is an Italian professional cyclist. ...

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 of Switzerland 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.

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. 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.^[9] 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 (derived from Operación Puerto meaning Operation Mountain Pass[1]) was a scandal in which 200 athletes including a number of cyclists were accused of using prohibited doping practices to enhance their performance. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

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. 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. Ivan Basso (born November 26, 1977) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, most recently riding for Team CSC. Basso is among the best mountain riders in the professional field of the 2000s, and is considered one of the strongest stage race riders. ...

On 20 July 2006, Jan Ullrich was fired from T-Mobile in relation to the aforementioned accusations. T-Mobile general manager Olaf Ludwig announced the news during the 18th stage of the Tour de France between Morzine and Macon. July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

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."

There are rumours linking Ullrich with rivals Discovery Channel, team of retired Lance Armstrong. Discovery Channel opted for Levi Leipheimer, instead, as the future of Ullrich remains uncertain, as he also was excluded from the 2006 Vuelta. Discovery Channel is a cable and satellite TV channel distributed by Discovery Communications that provides non-fiction programming focused on science, history and nature. ... Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18, 1971 in Plano, Texas) is a retired American professional road racing cyclist. ... Levi Leipheimer (born October 24, 1973 in Butte, Montana) is an American professional cyclist currently riding for the German cycling team Gerolsteiner. ...

Ullrich is trying to defend his reputation in court,where he won a case against Dr. Werner Franke. Franke accused Ullrich of buying doping up to 35.000 Euros each year, after reviewing the files of the Puerto affair. The court stated that Franke has to keep his comments out of the media as his statements lack solid grounds. Franke however also went to court against Ullrich, claiming that Ullrich lied while being under oath when asked if he had used doping. Werner Franke is a professor of cellular and molecular biology at the German Cancer Research Centre (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum) in Heidelberg. ...

At this point, Swiss Cycling (Ullrich lives in Switzerland and rides with a Swiss license) are investigating all the documents and will come to a verdict soon. Swiss Cycling logo Swiss Cycling is the national governing body of cycle racing in Switzerland. ...

Recently, the justice department raided his house for several hours, collecting DNA material. Ullrich was on a honeymoon during the event with his new wife Sara, and was so shocked with the news that he aborted it.

On October 18 2006, Ullrich had laid off his personal physiotherapist Birgit Krohme. Speculations quickly rose that this was a sign that Ullrich had given up hope of returning to racing. However, Ullrich denied these rumors. On 25 October 2006, he issued a document from the Spanish court on his website, which said that no charges would be filed against Ullrich. Then after months of speculation, he subsequently announced his retirement from cycling on Monday, 26th of February 2007, after weighing his options. At the retirement press conference 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. October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

On February 26 2007, Jan Ullrich announced his retirement at a press conference in Hamburg. February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Signature bike frame line

In May 2006 Ullrich launched a signature bike frame line, the "Jan Ullrich Collection"^[10], 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 did he feel after winning stage 12 of the 2003 Tour de France.

The Tour de France of 2003 started and ended in Paris. ...

References

1. ^ ELITE MEN TIME TRIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. UCI. Retrieved on 2007-03-06.
2. ^ "Ullrich's blood alcohol level more than 1.4 g/L" Cycling News, 2002
3. ^ "Ullrich tests non-negative for amphetamines" Cycling News, 2002
4. ^ 'Ullrich foregoes B test: "It was a stupidity"' Cycling News, 2002
5. ^ "Ullrich concedes in Battle of Jan's Knee" Cycling News, 2002
6. ^ "Ullrich given six months suspension" Cycling News, 2002
7. ^ "Ullrich moves to Coast" BBC Sport, 2003
8. ^ Ullrich said he would ride for one or two more years.
9. ^ "People in Sports: Jan Ullrich looking for new team" Seattle Times, 2006
10. ^ Signature bike frame launch.

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 6 is the 65th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (66th in Leap years). ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Jan Ullrich

• Official Homepage
• Jan Ullrich at the Internet Movie Database

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about motion pictures, actors, movie stars, TV shows, TV stars, production crew personnel, movie pictures, cast, crew as well as video games. ...

Palmarès

• World Time Trial Cycling Champion (1999, 2001)
• Summer Olympics Road Race Champion (2000)
•  Germany National Road Race Champion (1997, 2001)
•  Germany National Time Trial Champion (1995)
• Tour de France [2.HC] (1997)
  • 2nd (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003)
  • 3rd (2005)
  • 4th (2004)
  • Under-25 Competition (1996, 1997, 1998)
  • Total Stage Wins: 7
• Vuelta a España [2.HC] (1999)
• Tour de Suisse [2.HC] (2004, 2006)
• Stage, Giro d'Italia [2.HC] (2006)
• Stage, Deutschland Tour [2.HC] (2005)
• Young Rider Competition, Ronde Van Nederland [2.1] (1997)
• Rund um Köln (Tour of Cologne) [2.3] (2003)
• Stage, Giro della Provincia di Lucca [2.3] (2001)
• Regio Tour [2.3] (1996)
• Stage, Internationale Hessen Rundfahrt [2.4] (2001)
• Giro dell'Emilia [1.1] (2001)
• Coppa Sabatini [1.2] (2004)
• Coppa Agostini [1.2] (2000)
• Versatel Classic [1.4] (2001)
• Luk Cup, à Bühl [1.4] (1997)
• HEW Cyclassics [1.5] (1997)
• Rund um Berlin [1.5] (1998)
• Rund um Die Nürnberger Alstadt [1.5] (1998)
• Amateur World Road Race Cycling Champion (1993)

Cycling at the Summer Olympics | Olympic champions in men's individual road race

1896: Aristidis Konstantinidis | 1900-1920 | 1924: Armand Blanchonnet | 1928-1932 | 1936: Robert Charpentier | 1948: Jose Beyaert | 1952: Andre A. Noyelle | 1956: Ercole Baldini | 1960: Viktor Kapitonov | 1964: Mario Zanin | 1968: Pierfranco Vianelli | 1972: Hennie Kuiper | 1976: Bernt Johansson | 1980: Sergei Sukhoruchenkov | 1984: Alexi Grewal | 1988: Olaf Ludwig | 1992: Fabio Casartelli | 1996: Pascal Richard | 2000: Jan Ullrich | 2004: Paolo Bettini