ULLRICH FIRST GERMAN TO WIN TOUR DE FRANCE.

Byline: Associated Press 

He made his move in the rugged mountains of the Pyrenees and finished in triumph in the elegance of the Champs Elysees.

Jan Ullrich, his victory in this grueling three-week trek not in doubt, won the Tour de France on Sunday, the first German to capture cycling's showcase race since it began in 1903.

``I'll never forget this day my entire life,'' he said. ``A dream from my youth was fulfilled.''

Before several hundred thousand cheering fans on a bright, sunny day, Ullrich rode into Paris with the leader's yellow jersey to finish the 21-stage, 2,455-mile race.

He ended 39th for the day, the same time as the rest of the pack, but the real work had been done well before.

``Unbelievable,'' Ullrich said. ``I'm overjoyed because I was afraid of crashing up to the last meter.''

Ullrich's fans, including his mother Marianne, traveled to Paris and waved banners and German flags on the Champs Elysees. The German national anthem was played as Ullrich moved up a step on the podium from last year when he finished second.

And in his Black Forest hometown of Merdingen, the party was rolling and the free beer flowing.

In only his second Tour de France, Ullrich finished 9 minutes, 9 seconds ahead of Richard Virenque of France, the largest victory margin since Laurent Fignon won by 10:32 in 1984.

The 23-year-old German is the eighth-youngest winner, younger than five-time winners Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain when they won the first time. The late Jacques Anquetil, another five-time champion, was only a month younger than Ullrich.

Ullrich had been wearing the leader's yellow jersey since the 10th stage of the race, taking over the lead on the second day in the Pyrenees mountains in the south of France.

Ullrich, born in the former East Germany, was the 1993 world amateur road champion. He moved to Merdingen, a small town near the French border, in 1994 after turning pro.

In Merdingen, television coverage of the final day of the race was shown on a big screen during the local club's soccer game.

Ullrich, who earned $360,000 for the victory, said he will cherish two memories in particular.

``The first was the victory in the Pyrenees, the second was putting on the yellow jersey for the first time,'' he said.

In 1996 Ullrich was second by a little more than a minute to Telekom teammate Bjarne Riis, who finished seventh this year. This time, Riis and the other Telekom team rode to protect Ullrich's lead.

PROFILE OF THE WINNER

Name: Jan Ullrich

Born: Dec. 2, 1973

Birthplace: Rostock, Germany

Residence: Merdingen, Germany

Quick bio: Finished second in the '96 Tour de France; at 23 years, 7 months, 25 days, he is the eighth-youngest winner of the Tour de France (the youngest was Henri Cornet of France, 19 years, 11 months, who won in 1904); his winning margin of 9 minutes, 9 seconds over Richard Virenque was the largest since 1984; he was the ninth German to lead the Tour de France but the first to win.

PAST WINNERS

Since 1980

1980: Zoop Zoetemelk, the Netherlands

1981, 82, 85: Bernard Hinault, France

1983, 84: Laurent Fignon, France

1986, 89, 90: Greg LeMond, United States

1987: Stephen Roche, Ireland

1988: Pedro Delgado, Spain

1991-95: Miguel Indurain, Spain

1996: Bjarne Riis, Denmark

1997: Jan Ullrich, Germany

CAPTION(S):

Photo, 2 Boxes

Photo: (color) The pack rides on the Champs Elysees in the final stage of the Tour de France.

Associated Press

Box: (1) PROFILE OF THE WINNER (see text)

(2) PAST WINNERS (see text)