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Ullrich wins Tour of Germany eighth stage

Posted on: Monday, 22 August 2005, 11:35 CDT

PARIS (Reuters) - Home rider Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) won the penultimate stage of the Tour of Germany on Monday, a 31-km individual time trial from Ludwigshafen to Weinheim.

American Bobby Julich (Team CSC) was 11 seconds behind the winner while overall leader Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner) finished third, 54 seconds back.

Leipheimer enjoys a 31-second lead over second-placed Ullrich, who had never previously won a stage in his homeland Tour.

"It's a very important victory for me and our team," the 1997 Tour de France winner told reporters.

"I wasn't able to get Leipheimer in the end but I'm still very happy. Tomorrow, Gerolsteiner will control the race so today was my last chance.

"I used it to win and I'm satisfied with that as I had been ill before the race and couldn't train for five days."

Third in the Tour de France in July, Ullrich caught a cold before the Tour of Germany.

"The cold wasn't cured completely as the weather here was so bad all the time. That's why I'm even happier that I won today."

Leipheimer's Austrian team mate Georg Totschnig moved down to third overall, five seconds ahead of German Joerg Jaksche (Liberty Seguros).

Australian Cadel Evans (Davitamon-Lotto), who won Sunday's mountain stage, ranks fifth.

In Tuesday's ninth and final stage, the peloton will ride 168 mostly flat kilometres from Bad Kreuznach to Bonn, making another bunch sprint finish possible.

Source: REUTERS

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