Jan Ullrich is back – “I had a very difficult phase”
Stand: 6:55 p.m.
Archive photo from Jan Ullrich’s dark days: Among other things, he had to answer for drunk driving in 2017 after a serious traffic accident in Switzerland
Source: pa / Gian Ehrenzel / Gian Ehrenzeller
It had become quiet around Jan Ullrich. Alcohol abuse, drug excesses and legal proceedings hit the headlines three years ago. After that he at least managed not to be conspicuous again. Now he is back with a confession and new plans.
Et is the next small step on the way back to a stable life.
For the first time after his drug crash in 2018, cycling legend Jan Ullrich showed himself again in public – at least on a small scale. The 1997 tour winner took part in a citizens’ meeting in Merdingen (Baden-Württemberg). There it was about the “Bike Center by Jan Ullrich” (including a museum, bike workshop, restaurant) that is to be built in the 2500-inhabitant town near Freiburg.
Ullrich is one of the investors who is planning the project with his friends Mike and Dirk Baldinger and ex-bike world champion Hanka Kupfernagel. Ullrich spoke briefly about himself: “I had a very difficult phase. Fortunately, I’ve now got it over with. “
In 2018 Ullrich experienced a total crash. After separating from Sara (the marriage is now divorced), he lost control in his homeland on Mallorca. Drugs, alcohol, false friends.
Jan Ullrich should get on his feet on business
After a withdrawal in Miami, his friend Mike Baldinger, an ex-motorcycle professional, took him under his wing and brought him to Merdingen. He and his environment helped and help Ullrich to get back on his feet physically and mentally. And of course also for business. Together they founded Jan Ullrich Marketing Deutschland GmbH. The planned bike center should only be the first step, other projects are being planned, the internet and social media appearances are already being revised.
Ullrich, who sits on his bike five days a week and tears away many kilometers, says: “I am very happy to be back in Merdingen. I really want to build something here. This is my home. Here became my daughter (Sarah Maria, Ullrich has four children in total, the editorial team) born, here I have my friends. “
He no longer drinks or smokes, has regular contact with his children, who also live in southern Germany, and has a decent relationship with their mothers. And Elisabeth, whom he got to know and love in his darkest hours in 2018, is still at his side.
The Tour de France begins this Saturday. The first yellow jersey of the 108th tour will be a matter for the classic specialists. On the 197.8 kilometers from Brest to Landerneau, more than 3000 meters of altitude have to be mastered. The highlight is the stage finale with a gradient of up to 14 percent over the last three kilometers. 2022 will be the 25th anniversary of Ullrich’s great tour triumph. By then he wants to have mastered the next stage in his new life.
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