- Title: GERMANY: JAN ULLRICH REJOINS TEMA TELEKOM CYCLING TEAM
- Date: 6th October 2003
- Summary: BONN, GERMANY (OCTOBER 6, 2002)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. EXTERIOR DEUTSCHE TELEKOM HEADQUARTERS 2. T-MOBILE LOGO 3. GERMAN CYCLING CHAMPION JAN ULLRICH WALKS INTO NEWS CONFERENCE 4. ULLRICH SHAKES HANDS WITH T-MOBILE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER RENE OBERMANN 5. MEDIA 6. (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CYCLING CHAMPION JAN ULLRICH SAYS: "What was decisive for me was that I've been second in the tour often enough and next year I really want to challenge seriously again and I need a team that's strong enough for that, that can drive me to it. And I think I have found the best solution for that, the team suits me, I know the team and the majority of cyclists and that has made me stronger. I don't think I should play with my future. I think rather I can definitely mount a serious challenge for the next three years, that the big success of winning the tour really is possible" 7. NEWS CONFERENCE SEEN FROM BEHIND BONN, GERMANY (FILE - JULY 30, 2001)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 8. VARIOUS OF ULLRICH SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS IN THE MARKET SQUARE 9. ULLRICH ON THE TOWN HALL BALCONY WITH THE TELEKOM TEAM BONN, GERMANY (FILE - JUNE 29, 2001)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 10. TEAM TELEKOM ON THE STAGE AT TELEKOM HEADQUARTERS 11. ULLRICH Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 21st October 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BONN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVA8069WJX3EK941A7BG4ER2DMJK
- Story Text: Jan Ullrich, Germany's sole winner of the Tour de
France, has rejoined Team Telekom.
Jan Ullrich, Germany's sole winner of the Tour de
France, said on Monday (October 6) the Team Telekom squad
he has rejoined is "the strongest team in the world".
Ullrich, who won the Tour in 1997 and has been
runner-up five times, announced on Sunday (October 5) that
he would be returning to the Telekom fold after crowning a
comeback from a drugs ban and serious injury by pushing
Lance Armstrong to his narrowest Tour victory in July.
The 29-year-old said the revamped Team Telekom -- which
includes the third-placed rider in the 2003 Tour, Alexander
Vinokourov and world number one Erik Zabel -- would be
looking to turn up the heat on five-times Tour champion
Armstrong and his US Postal team next year.
Explaining wby he returned to the team, Ullrich told a
news conference in Bonn on Monday: "What was decisive for
me was that I've been second in the tour often enough and
next year I really want to challenge seriously again and I
need a team that's strong enough for that, that can drive
me to it.
"And I think I have found the best solution for that,
the team suits me, I know the team and the majority of
cyclists and that has made me stronger. I don't think I
should play with my future. I think rather I can definitely
mount a serious challenge for the next three years, that
the big success of winning the tour really is possible,
said Ullrich.
Ullrich said Telekom offered the ideal platform to go
one better next year.
He said the hiatus from Telekom, which had nurtured him
from 1995 until he left them after a serious knee injury
and a six-month ban for a positive test last year for
amphetamines, had made him more mature and focussed.
Team Telekom, sponsored by German telecom giant
Deutsche Telekom, will be called 'T-Mobile Team' from 2004.
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