“The doctors first panicked”
Jan Ullrich reveals details about his serious accident
Updated on May 15th, 2025 – 9:51 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
After a serious accident, Jan Ullrich had to be hospitalized. Now he reveals details about the incident.
The former cycling professional Jan Ullrich had a serious accident in his hometown of Merdingen in Baden-Württemberg on Friday. A driver took his right of way, causing Ullrich to fall off the bike and contracted considerable injuries. In his podcast “Ulle & Rick”, which he took out of the hospital in Freiburg, the 51-year-old now reports on the details of the accident.
According to Ullrich, Ullrich only wanted to do a short lap when the collision came: “Shortly before my home I come on the main street – a driver comes, wants to turn, overlooked me and is completely head -in into me into the left side.” Ullrich suffered a broken collarbone, broken ribs and a sunken lung. An operation was already carried out on Monday.
Ullrich also described the moment when it came together, in which he drove about 25 to 30 km/h quickly: “You try to get stiff and tense somehow – and then I was already there. People came out of my houses.
His girlfriend Elizabeth (41) also happened to be on the spot: “My girlfriend came by bike five minutes later by an appointment, looks me and freaks completely,” says Ullrich. The recalled rescue workers quickly provided the cycling professional medically and took him to the hospital.
There is still Ullrich because of the pain and the severity of his injuries: “It is not easy to deal with the pain. But I only have a wound hose in it. Yesterday I still had four.” At the beginning, the died lung on the left was particularly concerned about the doctors: “They had a bit of panicking. But now everything is okay again.”
Despite the circumstances, the “Jan Ullrich Cycling Festival” planned for the coming weekend will take place in Bad Dürrheim. Ullrich himself will not be able to actively participate, but he plans to be on site: “I will be able to participate and be on site – but not on the bike.” Lance Armstrong, an old rival Ullrichs, is also expected at the event.
In the podcast, the question was also discussed whether Ullrich had to deal with pain relievers particularly carefully because of his past. Ullrich says: “This was addressed. This is taken into account.” The dosage of the medication is adjusted accordingly.