Jan Ullrich

Jan Ullrich (born December 2, 1973 in Rostock, Germany) is a German professional road bicycle racer. In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. He went on to achieve five second place finishes, along with a fourth place (2004) and a third place finish (2005). In 2006, Ullrich was barred from competing in the Tour de France amid speculation of having doped. In late February, 2007, he announced his retirement at a press conference. Many consider Ullrich one of the most talented riders of all time, possessing great power with a soft, athletic style. Despite, or perhaps because of this talent, critics consider Ullrich to be "lazy" as he was notorious for allowing himself to get out of shape during the off season.

Ullrich won a gold and a silver medal in the Olympics 2000 in Sydney, as well as the 1999 Vuelta a España. Although not known as a one-day race specialist, he won the HEW Cyclassics in front of an adoring home crowd in Hamburg in 1997, and has made podium finishes in other editions of the HEW Cyclassics, and the hilly classic Clásica de San Sebastián. His victorious ride in the 1997 Tour de France led to a bicycle sports boom in Germany.