GERMANY: GERMAN CYCLIST JAN ULLRICH SAYS HE IS PREPARED AND MOTIVATED FOR THIS YEAR'S TOUR DE FRANCE

Record ID: 649143

  • Title: GERMANY: GERMAN CYCLIST JAN ULLRICH SAYS HE IS PREPARED AND MOTIVATED FOR THIS YEAR'S TOUR DE FRANCE
  • Date: 22nd June 2005
  • Summary: BONN, GERMANY (JUNE 22, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. EXTERIOR TELEKOM HEADQUARTERS IN BONN 2. TEAM TELEKOM MEMBERS WALKING ONTO PODIUM 3. PAN ACROSS TEAM TELEKOM MEMBERS SEATED ON PODIUM 4. SPECTATORS WATCHING 5. WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE 6. (SOUNDBITE) (German) JAN ULLRICH SAYING: "Making a decision who to choose for the tour is always very difficult and in the end, I'm not the only one who needs to take a decision. But of course I was consulted and in my view, if you cycle in the yellow jersey you have to have a team which is available to a captain who can win the tour. These questions have existed for many, many years and I believe that Erich (Zabel) would have deserved a nomination. But we all decided to set our eyes on yellow and that's why we took an entire team for the whole classification." 7. PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURES, PAN TO TEAM 8. JAN ULLRICH AND OTHERS POSING FOR CAMERAS 9. WIDE OF TEAM 10. (SOUNDBITE) (German) JAN ULLRICH SAYING: "Chances always exist. I meticulously prepared myself this year and I guess that I will be doing well again. Of course you also need a lot of luck. The last chance to beat Lance (Armstrong) because we will end his career after that also motivated me, of course. I can't predict anything but I will do everything I can to ride well." 11. CLOSE-UP OF ULLRICH'S JERSEY 12. (SOUNDBITE) (German) JAN ULLRICH SAYING: "I think we are well prepared. I have a very good team on my side and this year I tried to prepare really well and the last few tests were pretty good. We definitely have a chance to win." 13. ULLRICH BEING INTERVIEWED 14. (SOUNDBITE) (German) JAN ULLRICH SAYING: "During the tour and the classification every day counts, even the flat parts where the sprinters fight, you have to be careful not to get involved in a fall. After all, the Tour de France is very hectic. You need a lot of luck in order to make it through and you need to ensure to be fit every single day for the decisive parts, the mountains, and the parts where you can make up for lost time -- which of course can also get worse. But I believe the most important times are in the mountains: the Pyrenees, the Alps, this is where the tour is being decided." 15. ULLRICH BEING INTERVIEWED 16. WIDE OF ULLRICH Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 7th July 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BONN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA5ZAEFLZA65OMMPLQ1VC6ZX9WV
  • Story Text: German cyclist Jan Ullrich says he is prepared and
    motivated for this year's Tour de France.


    Dethroning six-time Tour de France champion Lance
    Armstrong is Team Telekom's only goal for the race that
    starts on July 2, Germany's Jan Ullrich said on Wednesday.

    Team Telekom presented its nine-member team in Bonn on
    Wednesday, a squad tailored to Ullrich, 31, that even
    sacrificed top German sprinter Erik Zabel this year to stay
    focused on beating Armstrong.

    "Chances always exist. I meticulously prepared myself
    this year and I guess that I will be doing well again,"
    said Ullrich, widely seen as Armstrong's chief rival even
    though he finished a disappointing fourth last year.

    "The last chance to beat Lance (Armstrong) because he
    will end his career after that also motivated me, of
    course," Ullrich said, adding "I can't predict anything but
    I will do everything I can to ride well."
    The Tour de France starts on July 2 with an individual
    time trial in Fromentine Noirmoutier and ends on July 24 on
    the Champs Elysees in Paris. Armstrong is aiming for a
    record seventh successive victory in his last Tour.

    Zabel had collected 11 stage victories in the last 11
    Tours and won the green jersey six times but was dropped
    because Telekom wants the yellow jersey.

    Supporting Ullrich will be Germany's Andreas Kloeden,
    who finished second to Armstrong last year, and Alexander
    Vinokourov of Kazahkstan. Both Kloeden and Vinokourov will
    help Ullrich put pressure on Armstrong.

    Also on the team are Oscar Sevilla of Spain, Giuseppe
    Guerini and Daniele Nardello of Italy as well as Matthias
    Kessler, Tobias Steinhauser and Stefan Schreck of Germany.

    Ullrich expects his team to be a tougher match for
    Armstrong's.

    Ullrich also said that, like last year, if a teammate
    has a better chance of winning than he does he would be
    ready to switch to a supporting role.


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