25 years after his Tour de France triumph, Jan Ullrich thanked his cycling fans for their great sympathy in an open letter.
“This tour has brought back memories for many of you too. Many have written to me about it in recent weeks, including many with very personal messages: Some have reported that my tour victory motivated them to buy a bike and start cycling or even start cycling,” wrote the former cycling star in the letter that appeared in the “Bild” newspaper.
Ullrich was the first German to win the Tour of France in 1997. After that he took second places several times, but he could not repeat the triumph. After his involuntary career end due to the 2006 tour exclusion, Ullrich often got into trouble in his private life. “There were also some who, like me, had a very eventful life story or difficult life phases, and many parallels in your stories were clearly recognizable with my own. That touched me very much,” added Ullrich.
The 48-year-old follows the 2022 tour as a TV viewer. “The tour is an incredible test of endurance. And the drivers are rightly called “heroes and gladiators of the country road,” says Ullrich, who also thinks back to his triumph: “I also remember the moment well when our captain Bjarne Riis and my team gave me the go-ahead to ride “for me” and I was able to put on the yellow jersey that day in Andorra. This will always be one of my fondest memories that I will never forget!”