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Jan's Journal: Off to a bad start... but a start nonetheless

By Jan Ullrich, T-Mobile professional cycling team
Published: Jul. 2, 2005

Hello,
Well, I had planned to start this Tour with a good result early on, and frankly, as I rode the time trial today, I felt pretty good … until I was caught and passed by Lance. That is not a particularly good feeling, especially on the first stage.

I really can’t explain it. Maybe it did have something to do with the crash I had the other day. I did lose some blood, but really, I don’t believe that is the cause. I didn’t feel too bad at all this morning and I felt pretty optimistic about the stage and the Tour in general.

Then Lance came flying past me, finishing just two seconds off of Zabriskie’s pace, and I have to admit that am already somewhat demoralized.

Nevertheless, I am glad that the Tour has finally started. The wait is over. The Tour still has another three weeks to go, and despite this first setback I will fight all the way to the finish.Jan