 Bölts(left) at the1993 Tour de France | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1966-08-10)10 August 1966 (age 58) Heltersberg,West Germany |
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft10+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb; 11 st 7 lb) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Retired |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Professional teams | |
| 1989–2002 | Stuttgart–Merckx–Gonsor |
| 2003 | Gerolsteiner |
| Managerial team | |
| 2004–2007 | Gerolsteiner |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
Udo Bölts (born 10 August 1966) is a retiredGermanracing cyclist, the brother ofHartmut Bölts. Bölts confessed publicly in 2007 to having usedEPO and growth hormones in 1996 and 1997.
Bölts was born inHeltersberg and began his professional career in 1989 withStuttgart–Merckx–Gonsor, from which Team Telekom were formed in 1991.
From 1992 to 2003, Bölts took part in 12 consecutiveTours de France, arriving inParis on every occasion, both of which feats are German records. These records have since been surpassed byJens Voigt. His best placing in the hardest stage race in the world was in1994, when he was ninth. In 1996 and 1997, he was an important helper of teammates and eventual winners of the Tour,Bjarne Riis andJan Ullrich. During the1997 Tour, he was noted for the words he shouted to Ullrich when the latter was about to crack:Quäl dich, du Sau! (force yourself, you sod!).[citation needed] After Bölts had taken part in theIronman Hawaii event with little preparation, his team chief of many years,Walter Godefroot, said: "Bölts is strong, he never breaks down".[citation needed]
Some of his victories include three German road national titles (1990, 1995 and 1999),[1] theClásica de San Sebastián in 1996 or a stage win at the1992 Giro d'Italia. He also is the only German rider to have won theDauphiné Libéré, which he did in 1997, a year in which he was also fourth in theWorld Cycling Championships.
For his last season as a professional, Bölts moved toGerolsteiner. After he retired in 2004, he became one of the team's directeurs sportif, and was responsible for race preparations, strategies and contacts with other teams and cyclists.[2] During theTour de France 2006, he was an assistant commentator for German TV channelZDF.
In the wake of the 2007Team T-Mobile scandal Bölts confessed publicly on 23 May, having usedEPO and growth hormones in preparation for the Tour the France 1996, continuing with the practise in 1997. In consequence of this Bölts resigned as the sports director ofGerolsteiner on 24 May 2007.[3]
Road race, National Road Championships
OverallHerald Sun TourRoad race, National Road Championships OverallCritérium du Dauphiné Libéré
Mountains classificationRoad race, National Road Championships| Grand Tour | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia | — | — | 31 | 33 | 18 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
 Tour de France | — | — | 35 | 25 | 9 | 38 | 14 | 21 | 21 | 40 | 42 | 51 | 48 | 61 |
/ Vuelta a España | 53 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
