The King of the Hills Rules Tour de France

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 well secured, 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.

“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 in 100 hours 30 minutes 35 seconds. His victory margin of 9 minutes 9 seconds ahead of Richard Virenque of France was the largest since Laurent Fignon won by 10:32 in 1984. Ullrich finished second last year, a little more than a minute behind teammate Bjarne Riis, who finished seventh this year.

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, taking the lead on the second day in the Pyrenees mountains in the south of France.

Ullrich, born in the former East Germany, earned $360,000 for the victory.