Jan Ullrich, winner of the 1997 Tour, has managed to gather €40,100 which he will give to an association that helps children who are refugees from the war in Ukraine by selling one of his bicycles for charity. The former German cyclist, now 48 and a long-time resident of Switzerland, decided to auction off a yellow-painted bicycle that the Italian manufacturer Pinarello gave him as a gift and tribute after winning the French round wearing his brand. This bicycle was never used in competition and was part of the private collection of the former cycling star at the end of the last century and the beginning of the current one.
The bicycle had been in the auction for weeks until the bid was closed when it was sold for a price that has multiplied by four, apart from the historical and sentimental aspect, its value. The money raised will go to the German NGO ‘Ein Herz für Kinder’, which helps children injured or orphaned by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ullrich He was a professional rider between 1994 and 2006. His best results were achieved in the Tour. Apart from his victory in 1997 there are five second places and one third place. He also won the return of 1999 and won the gold medal in the road test of the 2000 Olympics. He is considered as the great rival of Lance Armstrong in the French round, although he always lost to the Texan. And as he was also sanctioned for doping, although he retains his results on the Tour.