Cycling: Ullrich battles back to Tour podium

ST ETIENNE, France - Jan Ullrich fought to the limit to make it on the Tour de France podium for the seventh time but again admitted Lance Armstrong, who beat him in today's time trial was simply too strong.

"I am pleased with my own Tour. Just getting to Paris and standing on the podium is something special after the crashes I suffered", said Ullrich, who hit trouble before the Tour started and later in a descent in the Vosges mountains.

"Even without crashing, I still don't think I could have beaten Lance. He is simply too strong and you have to give him credit for that," the 1997 Tour champion said.

At 31, the T-Mobile team leader proved his class remained by finishing only 23 seconds behind the six-times and probably seven-times Tour champion in the Texan's final time trial.

Ullrich was 2:12 behind Dane Michael Rasmussen before the 55.5-kms test, but he destroyed the unfortunate Rabobank rider, who suffered a nightmare, crashing twice and stopping several times to change bikes.

The German said: "Today it went as I hoped it would. Though, of course, it was tough on Rasmussen the way things went wrong for him."

Although Armstrong is effectively out of reach, Ullrich, a former Olympic champion, took some consolation from the overall T-Mobile team performance.

"We all came here on a mission to win the yellow jersey. That didn't happen, and in one sense it's disappointing. But in another sense, we can still be proud of the way that we fought as a team in this Tour," Ullrich said.

T-Mobile are almost certain to finish top of the team classification, leading Armstrong's Discovery Channel by 14 minutes 57 seconds before Sunday's last stage.

Despite losing once more to his American arch-rival, Ullrich paid respect to "one of the greatest sportsmen of all time".

"With his physical and mental strength, his enthusiasm and will-power, nobody - me included - was able to hold a candle to him these past seven years," he said.

Results from Stage 20:

1. Lance Armstrong (United States / Discovery Channel) 1:11:46"
2. Jan Ullrich (Germany / T-Mobile) +23"
3. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan / T-Mobile) +1:16"
4. Bobby Julich (United States / Team CSC) +1:33"
5. Ivan Basso (Italy / Team CSC) +1:54"
6. Floyd Landis (United States / Phonak) +2:02"
7. Cadel Evans (Australia / Davitamon - Lotto) +2:06"
8. George Hincapie (United States / Discovery Channel) +2:25"
9. Francisco Mancebo (Spain / Illes Balears) +2:51"
10. Vladimir Karpets (Russia / Illes Balears) +3:05"

- REUTERS