Tour de France history: The rivalry between Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich is considered one of the most interesting in Tour history. The unequal duel reached its peak in 2001. On the way to Alpe d'Huez, the American seemed to have problems. Team Telekom worked hard, but Lance Armstrong bluffed.
The situation: US Postal was weak
Within the Tour de France 2001 Jan Ullrich and Lance Armstrong met for the second time. The American won the previous two years, but the German missed the Tour de France 1999 due to a crash at the Deutschland Tour. In 2000, he lost to Lance Armstrong by over six minutes. Nevertheless, they hoped to be better prepared this time. And things were looking good, because the team Telecom seemed strong and the team US Postal was weakened. Edelhelfer Christian Vande Velde had to give up before the mountains and other drivers in the team were ill or slightly injured. Due to the prologue and the team time trial, Lance Armstrong was 27 seconds ahead of Jan Ullrich before the tenth stage. On July 17, 2001, the first water level was reported on the first mountain stage. The stage continued over 209 kilometers from Aix-Les-Bains Alpe d'Huez – and went down in history.
The spectacle: Armstrong suffers visibly
Before tackling the legendary 21 hairpin bends up to Alpe d'Huez, the professionals had to conquer the climbs to the Col de la Madeleine and the Col de la Glandon. This stage through the Alps thus included three climbs of the highest category – a true test. And already on the first climb, French television reported "Armstrong en difficulté" (Armstrong in difficulty). The TV footage confirmed Armstrong's apparent problems. The American was at the back of the peloton with his teammates. When asked by a commentator, team manager Johann Bruyneel stated: "I don't know if he's okay. I only see the pictures. And it doesn't bode well." He also stated that he hadn't had any radio contact with his leader all day. However, there was plenty of radio communication from Team Telekom. Rudy Pevenage decided to increase the pace. As a result, riders such as Kevin Livingston, Giuseppe Guerini, and Andreas Klöden moved to the front of the peloton.
The view: Ullrich cannot follow Armstrong
As the peloton reached the final climb, Team US Postal suddenly surged to the front. Jose Luis Rubiera practically sprinted up the hill – with Lance Armstrong on his wheel. Within seconds, the peloton exploded. When Rubiera also dropped back from the lead, Armstrong looked around. He saw Ullrich's face and attacked. The German – who had never benefited from such accelerations – had no chance to respond. As Armstrong strode away, Ullrich's morale crumbled. Rudy Pevenage later claimed to have seen through Armstrong's bluff . But in that situation, his team had no choice but to at least try.
Ullrich helper Udo Bölts:
"We couldn't believe what we saw. When we saw Armstrong attacking, we lost all our morale.”
Armstrong helper Jose Luis Rubiera:
"He told me to go full throttle into the mountain."
The result: Almost 2 minutes difference
Lance Armstrong rode like a man possessed up the climb. He caught the last remaining breakaway rider and celebrated his first of four stage wins in this Tour de France on Alpe d'Huez. Jan Ullrich crossed the finish line in second place 1 minute and 59 seconds later. Meter by meter, the then-German champion had shaken off all his companions. Nevertheless, he consistently lost time to the Texan. At the end of the three weeks, Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France for the third time. Jan Ullrich finished 6 minutes and 44 seconds behind.
Lance Armstrong:
“Because of the cameras, everyone can see everything. Sometimes you have to take advantage of that. I played poker with Team Telekom – and I won.”