"This tour has also awakened memories for many of you. Many have written to me in the last few weeks, including many with very personal messages: Some have reported that my Tour victory motivated them at the time to buy a bike and take up cycling or even bike racing," the former cycling star wrote in the letter, which was published in the "Bild" newspaper appeared.
Ullrich celebrated the first German Tour de France victory in 1997
In 1997, Ullrich was the first German to win the Tour de France won. After that, he took second place several more times, but was unable to repeat the triumph. After his involuntary career end due to his exclusion from the Tour in 2006, Ullrich often got into difficulties in his private life.
"There were also some who, like me, had a very eventful life story or difficult phases of life, and many parallels in your stories with my own were quite recognisable. That really touched me," added Ullrich.
Ullrich follows Tour de France on television
The 48-year-old is following the 2022 Tour as a TV spectator. "The Tour is an incredibly tough test. And the riders are rightly called 'heroes and gladiators of the road', says Ullrich, who also thinks back to his triumph: "I also remember the moment 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 favourite memories that I will never forget!"
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