Jan Ullrich still has it!!!

[staubsauger]

Boogerd actually helped to chase on Plateau de Beille

The flat tire mainly affected his finish, since he lost several seconds to the chasing group around Boogerd in the last few meters. It also affects his ability to react to Pantani's attack of course. However the question is whether doing so actually would've been a benefit for him or whether it would have made him bonk at one point, because Pantani was going to fast.

On Alpe d'Huez a year earlier he didn't need to follow the pirate and could let him ride. Maybe he would have chosen to do so on Plateau de Beille anyway. Certainly he wouldn't have lost those meters to the Boogerd group without the flat.


He lost 9 minutes on the Galibier - Les Deux Alpes stage. That's what made him lose the 1998 Tour de France. Shouldn't have answered all those early attacks by LeBlanc. Smoked his teammates by doing so. Had to shut down the Boogerd-Escartin-LeBlanc move by himself then, because it was too dangerous. When Pantani attacked then, Ullrich simply had no response in house anymore. Of course then he hesitates after another flat tire up towards Les Deux Alpes and gets completely shattered.


If you ask Ulle himself nowadays, he probably answers that everything happened as it happened and Pantani was the deserving winner. Sometimes destiny just fells in someones way.


Ullrich still won the 1999 Vuelta a Espana afterwards. People often tend to forget about that. He fought back. Already the day after Les Deux Alpes in Albertville!


That podium picture, where Ullrich sincerely smiles at Pantani because he's able to be happy for him... It's a very beautiful catch IMHO!

 

[roundabout]

Ullrich was 4'41'' ahead of Pantani before that stage with 4 mountain stages and 1 long ITT to come.

With the benefit of 25 years of hindsight, Ullrich should not have tried to close Pantani down when he attacked, but tried to pace the climb as best as possible.

I rewatched the climb yesterday and the approximate gaps (between Pantani and Ullrich) were

10K to go 30 seconds
4K to go 1 minute
finish 1 minute 40 seconds

Whether it was the puncture or trying to respond to Pantani's attack, I do think that Ullrich ran out of energy toward the end of the climb

 

[Ulle97]

Ullrich was 4'41'' ahead of Pantani before that stage with 4 mountain stages and 1 long ITT to come.

With the benefit of 25 years of hindsight, Ullrich should not have tried to close Pantani down when he attacked, but tried to pace the climb as best as possible.

I rewatched the climb yesterday and the approximate gaps (between Pantani and Ullrich) were

10K to go 30 seconds
4K to go 1 minute
finish 1 minute 40 seconds

Whether it was the puncture or trying to respond to Pantani's attack, I do think that Ullrich ran out of energy toward the end of the climb

Interesting that you mention 4 mountain stages that were left. One of them included a tough stage with Semnoz and Regard climbs but unfortunately it was annulled due to protests.

The stage finished on a flat after descending the final climb, similar to the finish the previous day to Albertville. I really feel Ullrich would have went all out again on this stage as he totally ripped the peloton asunder on the Madeleine 24 hours earlier.

I feel he would have dropped all bar Pantani again and possibly have won that stage too. I will try and get the stage profile. It was strange that the riders protested on such a stage that could have influenced the GC.

 

[Netserk]

It was over the easy side of Revard in the end though.

From 18.5 km to the top until 1.5 km to the top.

 

[roundabout]

Interesting that you mention 4 mountain stages that were left. One of them included a tough stage with Semnoz and Regard climbs but unfortunately it was annulled due to protests.

The stage finished on a flat after descending the final climb, similar to the finish the previous day to Albertville. I really feel Ullrich would have went all out again on this stage as he totally ripped the peloton asunder on the Madeleine 24 hours earlier.

I feel he would have dropped all bar Pantani again and possibly have won that stage too. I will try and get the stage profile. It was strange that the riders protested on such a stage that could have influenced the GC.

The profile is available here

85ème Tour de France 1998 - 17ème étape

And this is the profile of the side of the Revard that was scheduled (minus the last 2k or so and I think the first 4k on the profile)

https://www.cyclingcols.com/profiles/RevardS.gif

I do think that Ullrich was in a pretty comfortable position before Plateau de Beille and probably was in comfortable position after, but I guess even at almost 5 minutes back Pantani was threatening enough that Ullrich had to try to respond.

 

[Ulle97]

Anti- climax nonetheless..... robbed of the final GC mountain stage.......... let's hope it doesn't happen in Nice this year!!

 

[Ulle97]

Hello all,

Just wanted to look back at some of Jan's stage races.

Would anybody know where I could watch the 2004 or 2006 Tour de Suisse stages? YouTube has some of the action but not all.