Germany’s cycling idol Jan Ullrich hopes to soon put his status as a “undesirable person” at the Tour de France and to be able to travel to the most important bike race in the world as an official guest.
“I think it tends in a good direction,” said the 51-year-old in a “picture” interview.
In this context, Jan Ullrich referred to his invitation to the Germany tour last year by the organizer Amaury Sport Organization, which also organized the Tour de France. “So I’m hopeful,” emphasized the only German tour winner of cycling history.
In the past few months after long years of laviering, Ullrich had spoken publicly about his doping past for the first time. The native of Rostock also left alcohol and drug skills behind and is again an integral part of the cycling scene in this country.
“No negative feedback” for cycling idol Jan Ullrich
On May 17th and 18th in Baden-Württemberg Bad Dürrheim, the “Jan Ullrich Cycling Festival”, a kind of cycling festival, will take place, in which he will also do a few rounds through the Black Forest together with other legends.
For 2025, Ullrich also has another project in the pipeline. “Now the weekly podcast ‘Ulle and Rick’ together with Rick Zabel. About cycling, about our lives – I’m looking forward to it. And then everything else then step by step,” he said.
After his relentlessly honest life confession, he got “no negative feedback”, emphasized Ullrich. “That it happened that I got another chance – that’s beautiful. Above all, that I have my identity back. I had lost it for many years. Now I’m back where I feel comfortable – on cycling.”
Cycling: Friendship with Lance Armstrong for Jan Ullrich a “gift”
A big support in difficult times was his former tour rival Lance Armstrong, from which Ullrich said in his own statement. “I got stuck in a self -pity for many years. He is a completely different type. Lance threws forward, he is very disciplined in his life.
Ullrich described the friendship with Armstrong, to whom his seven tour-de-france overall victories, were revealed as a convicted doping sinner.