The Tour de France looked back at the past Tuesday and may have also seen the future.
On a day when the Tour honored the death of one of its own, 23-year-old Jan Ullrich, from Rostock in the former East Germany, took over the lead with an emphatic stage win that may be the beginning of a long reign at the Tour de France.About 28 miles into the 10th stage, the riders stopped for more than two minutes in front of the monument to Fabio Casartelli, who died on the Tour two years ago.
Casartelli, the 1992 Olympic road racing champion, failed to negotiate a steep curve during the descent from the Col de Portet d'Aspet in the Pyrenees on July 18, 1995.
Ullrich had indirectly succeeded Casartelli as the winner of the 1993 world amateur road racing championship. That was the same year Lance Armstrong of the United States won the pro title. Armstrong was Casartelli's teammate two years ago.
Armstrong won an emotional stage three days after Casartelli died. One of the the most vivid images of the 1995 Tour was Armstrong pointing to the sky as he approached the finish of the 18th stage in Limoges.
Last fall, Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain.
He returned to the Tour to honor Casaretelli and spoke of things other than cycling.
"To be back on the Tour is one of the best things that can happen," Armstrong said. "But there are a lot more things in life more important than cycling and the Tour de France."
"It takes an experience like I had to understand," he said, adding that the cancer is under control for the moment.
Armstrong admits that he is taking things one day at a time, but also finds himself looking ahead.
"When I wake up in the morning, I think more for the day to come," he said. "But I am thinking of next year. And five years. And 15 years."
In five years, Ullrich could still be winning the Tour de France.
Ullrich won the stage from Luchon, France to Arcalis, Andorra by more than a minute over Marco Pantani of Italy and Richard Virenque of France. The leg had six major climbs and lasted more than 7 hours, 46 minutes.
"It's a dream for me to wear the yellow jersey," said Ullrich. "My first memory of the Tour was watching television at home. I saw Greg LeMond in yellow. I said to myself that I could never be as good as him."
At 23, he is younger than LeMond was when he wore the yellow jersey for the first time in 1986.
Ullrich now has a 2:38 lead over Virenque. Abraham Olano is third.
Salt Lake cyclist Marty Jemison finished the 10th stage in 68th place. After being in the top 30 competitors to start the week - and the Tour's mountainous stages - he has dropped to 76th overall, more than an hour off the lead.
On the final mountain to the finish, more than 7,200 feet, Ullrich made his move. He broke away from a small group and went on to win, leaving behind, among others, his Telekom teammate and last year's winner, Bjarne Riis of Denmark.
Riis ended up 3:22 behind Ullrich. Now the emphasis will be on Riis working for his teammate instead of Ullrich working for him, as it had been since the beginning of the Tour.
Riis was among the first to congratulate Ullrich after the yellow jersey was put on the German.
Ullrich now can be considered the favorite for the Tour that ends in Paris on July 27. He was second behind Riis last year and won the last long time trial in last year's Tour beating Miguel Indurain by almost a minute.
"Tonight we will discuss with the team the strategy for the days to come," Ullrich said.
The Tour now comes down from the mountains before a rest day on Thursday in St. Etienne and an important time trial there on Friday.
From there, the race moves to the Alps for four days before another time trial in Disneyland Paris on July 26.