"I would have nominated him" - Jan Ullrich thinks Lennard Kämna's comeback story deserved a conclusion with a Tour start

Lennard Kämna has not raced for a full year after a training accident last March. But in the new colours of Lidl-Trek, he has fought back to reach a level that is no longer too far from his best version. According to Jan Ullrich, the German may have been even ready for this Tour de France, but his team opted to go for a different lineup with strong focus on sprints.

"Lidl-Trek is a very good team and might focus on Jonathan Milan in the sprint," Ullrich explained in in his podcast Ulle & Rick with former pro Rick Zabel. "I would have nominated him because his form is simply improving. He was certainly disappointed, too. He finished fourth in the championship race and rode incredibly well. It would have been perfect."

The legendary cyclist was impressed by his compatriot's comeback this season. "I've been following him all year. He's gotten better and better and is now in top form. And now he can watch the Tour de France on TV, which isn't great for any athlete," said Ullrich.

The German rider wasn't surprised by the non-selection for Tour de France given the complicated year behind him. Instead, he'll have an opportunity to prove his rising level at the Tour of Austria. "I don't think I'll be making it to the Tour," he told dpa already after the Tour de Suisse. Until two or three months ago, it wasn't at all clear "whether I'd be coming back at all. So I'm just happy that it's happening at all."

Kämna instead emphasized his positive development at the Tour de Suisse where he finished 6th overall after consistent performance throughout the week: "It was a really good week for me. The Tour de Suisse felt like it came at exactly the right time," he told radsport-news.com.