FRANCE: CYCLIST JAN ULLRICH TIPS BIANCHI TEAM TO BE SURPRISE PACKAGE IN THIS YEAR'S TOUR DE FRANCE.
Record ID:
647871
FRANCE: CYCLIST JAN ULLRICH TIPS BIANCHI TEAM TO BE SURPRISE PACKAGE IN THIS YEAR'S TOUR DE FRANCE.
- Title: FRANCE: CYCLIST JAN ULLRICH TIPS BIANCHI TEAM TO BE SURPRISE PACKAGE IN THIS YEAR'S TOUR DE FRANCE.
- Date: 4th July 2003
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 4, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. JAN ULLRICH ENTERS NEWS CONFERENCE 2. WIDE SHOT NEWS CONFERENCE 3. (SOUNDBITE) (German) JAN ULLRICH SAYING IT'S NEVER EASY TO CHANGE TEAMS MID-SEASON, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE TO PROVE ANYTHING TO ANYBODY 4. JOURNALIST 5. (SOUNDBITE) (German) JAN ULLRICH SAYING HE IS HONOURED THAT LANCE ARMSTRONG CONSIDERS HIM ONE OF THE BEST RIDERS AND THAT HE WILL DO HIS BEST 6. JOURNALISTS 7. (SOUNDBITE) (German) JAN ULLRICH SAYING HE IS HAPPY TO BE BACK AND THAT HE HAS TWO OR THREE YEARS IN WHICH TO WIN THE TOUR 8. WIDE SHOT NEWS CONFERENCE Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 19th July 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Reuters ID: LVA99RAKAWJ9SKZHQIYW9ASHXFE7
- Story Text: Former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich is tipping his
new team, Bianchi, to be the surprise package in this year's
race starting on Saturday (July 5).
Ullrich began the season with Team Coast, but they had
their licence withdrawn in May for non-payment of riders'
salaries and Italian bicycle manufacturers Bianchi took over.
"It's never easy changing teams mid-season. We had some
problems but in the end I think it was a good thing that
Bianchi took over," Ullrich told a news conference in Paris on
Friday (July 4).
"In the team we all get on well and we've raced together
quite a bit now. We're all very motivated and I'm sure we'll
do well. As a new team we have the advantage that we don't
have to prove anything to anybody and could be the surprise of
the Tour."
Ullrich missed last year's race because of a knee injury
and was then banned for six months after taking amphetamines,
only returning to competition in April.
"I'm very happy to be back at the Tour and happy to be
back racing," said Ullrich, who won the race in 1997.
"I've still got two or three years to win the Tour and
that's what I'm determined to do."
But Ullrich, who has finished second on his other four
appearances on the Tour, said he was probably not strong
enough to win this year, despite being rated as the main rival
to defending champion Lance Armstrong, who is going for a
record-equalling fifth victory.
"I'm honoured that Armstrong considers me one of the best
riders in the race. I'll do my best but we'll have to wait
three weeks to see if Armstrong is right. I want to perform as
well as I can," the 29-year-old Ullrich said.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None