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Former Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich is pictured on the finish line of the Men Elite - Individual Road Race of the German National Road Championships. Ullrich has expressed hope that his sons will follow in his footsteps, embark on a professional cycling career and compete at the famous French race. Bernd Weißbrod/dpa
Former Tuor de France champion Jan Ullrich has expressed hope that his sons will follow in his footsteps, embark on a professional cycling career and compete at the famous French race.
"Fingers crossed. They are also riding. They haven't reached the age yet to be professionals but they are emerging. A few more years then they will strike," Ullrich said at a fitness fair in Cologne.
Ullrich has three sons with his ex-wife, born in 2007, 2011 and 2012. The younger two, Toni and Benno, are registered cyclists at the regional association in the stae of Baden-Württemberg.
Looking at the current generation of German cyclists, Ullrich spoke highly of Florian Lipowitz who came second at the recent Paris-Nice stage race. Ullrich said he hopes that Lipowitz will also ride a strong Tour de France in July.
"He can do mountains, he can do time trials, he can position himself at the front," Ullrich said. "Those are very good results, I see him high up in the overall classification together with Georg Steinhauser."
Now 51, Ullrich is the only German to win the Tour de France, in 1997. He is also an Olympic road race champion, won two time trial world titles and the Vuelta a Espana.
His career ended in 2006 in connection with doping allegations. He officially admitted to substance abuse during his career many years later.
Ullrich is currently preparing for a reunion with long-time American rival Lance Armstrong at a cycling event he organizes in Germany.
Armstrong, who was stripped of his seven Tour titles retroactively after confessing to doping, helped Ullrich when the German was suffering from alcohol and drugs problems, and they have become close friends.
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