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04-27-04, 08:46 PM
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/27/1082831573694.html
As Lance Armstrong deals with the weight of expectation ahead of the Tour de France, Jan Ullrich is dealing with weight, writes Darren Tulett in Paris.
Lance Armstrong's pre-Tour de France sparring with Jan Ullrich, his main rival in cycling's biggest race, is turning into a non-event.
While Armstrong showed his bid for an unprecedented sixth win in the July showpiece is on schedule by winning the six-day Tour de Georgia on Sunday, Ullrich wasn't even racing. The German, only 61 seconds behind Armstrong last year as he finished second in the Tour de France for a fifth time, withdrew from the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race in Belgium after what his team management called a "crisis meeting".
Ullrich, who has completed only two races this year, quit a one-day race in Belgium last week at the halfway stage. Many question whether the 30-year-old, who often puts on weight during the winter break, can rediscover form and fitness to challenge Armstrong in the July 3-25 Tour.
"You have to wonder what's going on in Ullrich's head if he can't even finish a race two months before the Tour de France," said Cyrille Guimard, a former rider and team manager. "Right now, everything points to another Armstrong win."
In cycling, where extra ounces translate into lost seconds on the road, Ullrich's failure to control his weight has often dented his chances, say critics including five-time Tour de France champion Eddy Merckx.
Ullrich's affection for cakes is no secret. The man from Rostock in the former East Germany began the 2000 season more than 10 kilos overweight. Although he looked in better shape at the start of this season, he has failed to give fans any signs of encouragement in race situations.
Often near the back of the pack, the 2000 Olympic champion finished 71st in March's Tour of Murcia in Spain, with Armstrong 23rd. This month he was 64th in the Tour of Cologne, an event he won last year. Ullrich opted not to compete in last week's Amstel Gold Race, which featured on his pre-season schedule, and quit another event three days later.
Walter Godefroot, manager of the T-Mobile team, met Ullrich's manager, Rudy Pevenage, before pulling him out of Sunday's Liege race.
"As usual, Jan is visibly carrying a few kilos too many," Merckx told German news agency DPA. "You can only conclude he hasn't worked hard enough."
When Ullrich won the 1997 Tour de France at 23, experts including five-time winner Bernard Hinault said he would go on to win many more. Seven years on, he's still looking for his second.
Criticised for his tactics and training by many, including Guimard - who as manager led Hinault, Greg LeMond and Laurent Fignon to Tour wins - Ullrich regained face last year when he pushed Armstrong all the way in the Tour. Of the American's five victories, it was the slimmest winning margin.
Ullrich said that although he had added muscle mass he "could be two or three kilos less, but it's not the first time I've been in this situation".
"I probably underestimated the fact that I'm another year older," Ullrich, who is two years younger than Armstrong, told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "Or I overestimated my body. The amount of effort it takes to ride continues to increase. That's what I've learned this spring."
Former riders say he should have learned such lessons by now. Rarely a year passes without Ullrich having problems of some kind.
After missing most of 2002 because of a knee injury, he quit the Deutsche Telekom team to join another German outfit, Team Coast, against the advice of many, including Armstrong. Team Coast went bust in May after failing to pay its riders. Ullrich had already missed the start of the 2003 season while he completed a six-month ban for taking so-called recreational drugs.
He is next scheduled to race on May 28 in Germany. His team is trying to remain upbeat.
Armstrong is seeking to become the oldest winner in 24 years - he'll be almost 33 when the Tour finishes - and the only man to rack up six wins in the race's 101-year history.
After taking third place last month in the Criterium International, a two-day French race, Armstrong won two of seven stages at the Tour de Georgia to score his first success of the year.
While Ullrich struggles for form, Armstrong is concerned his may be too good, too soon.
"We might be a little hot right now," he told reporters after his first win in a US stage race since 1998. "We might have to cool off and take some recovery time."
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/04/27/lancearmstrong,0.jpg
As Lance Armstrong deals with the weight of expectation ahead of the Tour de France, Jan Ullrich is dealing with weight, writes Darren Tulett in Paris.
Lance Armstrong's pre-Tour de France sparring with Jan Ullrich, his main rival in cycling's biggest race, is turning into a non-event.
While Armstrong showed his bid for an unprecedented sixth win in the July showpiece is on schedule by winning the six-day Tour de Georgia on Sunday, Ullrich wasn't even racing. The German, only 61 seconds behind Armstrong last year as he finished second in the Tour de France for a fifth time, withdrew from the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race in Belgium after what his team management called a "crisis meeting".
Ullrich, who has completed only two races this year, quit a one-day race in Belgium last week at the halfway stage. Many question whether the 30-year-old, who often puts on weight during the winter break, can rediscover form and fitness to challenge Armstrong in the July 3-25 Tour.
"You have to wonder what's going on in Ullrich's head if he can't even finish a race two months before the Tour de France," said Cyrille Guimard, a former rider and team manager. "Right now, everything points to another Armstrong win."
In cycling, where extra ounces translate into lost seconds on the road, Ullrich's failure to control his weight has often dented his chances, say critics including five-time Tour de France champion Eddy Merckx.
Ullrich's affection for cakes is no secret. The man from Rostock in the former East Germany began the 2000 season more than 10 kilos overweight. Although he looked in better shape at the start of this season, he has failed to give fans any signs of encouragement in race situations.
Often near the back of the pack, the 2000 Olympic champion finished 71st in March's Tour of Murcia in Spain, with Armstrong 23rd. This month he was 64th in the Tour of Cologne, an event he won last year. Ullrich opted not to compete in last week's Amstel Gold Race, which featured on his pre-season schedule, and quit another event three days later.
Walter Godefroot, manager of the T-Mobile team, met Ullrich's manager, Rudy Pevenage, before pulling him out of Sunday's Liege race.
"As usual, Jan is visibly carrying a few kilos too many," Merckx told German news agency DPA. "You can only conclude he hasn't worked hard enough."
When Ullrich won the 1997 Tour de France at 23, experts including five-time winner Bernard Hinault said he would go on to win many more. Seven years on, he's still looking for his second.
Criticised for his tactics and training by many, including Guimard - who as manager led Hinault, Greg LeMond and Laurent Fignon to Tour wins - Ullrich regained face last year when he pushed Armstrong all the way in the Tour. Of the American's five victories, it was the slimmest winning margin.
Ullrich said that although he had added muscle mass he "could be two or three kilos less, but it's not the first time I've been in this situation".
"I probably underestimated the fact that I'm another year older," Ullrich, who is two years younger than Armstrong, told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "Or I overestimated my body. The amount of effort it takes to ride continues to increase. That's what I've learned this spring."
Former riders say he should have learned such lessons by now. Rarely a year passes without Ullrich having problems of some kind.
After missing most of 2002 because of a knee injury, he quit the Deutsche Telekom team to join another German outfit, Team Coast, against the advice of many, including Armstrong. Team Coast went bust in May after failing to pay its riders. Ullrich had already missed the start of the 2003 season while he completed a six-month ban for taking so-called recreational drugs.
He is next scheduled to race on May 28 in Germany. His team is trying to remain upbeat.
Armstrong is seeking to become the oldest winner in 24 years - he'll be almost 33 when the Tour finishes - and the only man to rack up six wins in the race's 101-year history.
After taking third place last month in the Criterium International, a two-day French race, Armstrong won two of seven stages at the Tour de Georgia to score his first success of the year.
While Ullrich struggles for form, Armstrong is concerned his may be too good, too soon.
"We might be a little hot right now," he told reporters after his first win in a US stage race since 1998. "We might have to cool off and take some recovery time."
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/04/27/lancearmstrong,0.jpg