Cycling, Ullrich at Pantani’s home: the German champion visiting Cesenatico

The agility of the climber against the power of the passer: the challenges between Marco Pantani and Jan Ullrich have marked the history of the Tour de France. One victory each in their personal duel. To the German the 1997 edition, dominated far and wide by a true Kaiser, as he was nicknamed. The following year, however, the revenge of the Italian, embellished by the gem of the masterpiece in Les Deux Alpes, with the attack on the Galibier in the pouring rain. Indelible memories after a long time even for Ullrich himself, who in recent days visited the museum dedicated to his rival who died in 2004, in Italy.

I remember

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It was Jan himself who made his visit known through social media. Ferdinando Pantani, Marco’s father, welcomed him to Cesenatico and guided him on this extremely intense journey from an emotional point of view. Ullrich, in fact, admitted: “It was a very emotional day for me. Meeting the Pirate’s father and visiting the museum brought back many memories ”. In the photos posted, the 48-year-old German appears intent on observing the various memorabilia of his old rival, including the bike and uniforms worn by Marco during their epic battles.

Tribute

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The former champion’s Italian tour also included another stop. Jan met Fausto Pinarello, a friend and supplier of the bikes with which he competed and won when he was a professional. For the occasion, Ullrich received a special F12 model as a gift. A singular detail stood out on the completely black livery: on the frame were shown all the most important successes of his career, from the seal to the 1997 Tour to the 1999 Vuelta di Spagna, without forgetting the Olympic gold in 2000. A further full of emotions and memories .