Jan Ullrich

2.1. Early Professional Activities

Ullrich transitioned to professional cycling in 1995, joining the Team Telekom under team manager Walter Godefroot. In his first 18 months as a professional, Ullrich remained relatively inconspicuous, though he did win the national time trial championship in 1995. He also secured top ten placings on stages of the 1995 Tour de Suisse. At 21, he expressed a desire to compete in the 1995 Tour de France, but Godefroot deemed it too early for his debut. Instead, Ullrich participated in the smaller German stage race, the Hofbräu Cup, where he finished third overall. Later that year, he started the 1995 Vuelta a España but abandoned the race on stage 12.

2.2. Tour de France Victories and Challenges (1996-1999)

Ullrich made his Tour de France debut in 1996, choosing to forgo a spot on the German Olympic team to do so. He quickly impressed, finishing the prologue 33 seconds down. He remained within the top 20 until the mountains on stage 7 where Miguel Induráin struggled significantly. Ullrich finished 30 seconds behind the stage winner, 22 seconds behind his teammate Bjarne Riis, while Indurain lost four minutes. On the subsequent stage, Ullrich finished in the same group as Indurain, 40 seconds behind Riis. On stage 9, Riis secured the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification, with Ullrich finishing 44 seconds behind and moving into fifth place overall, 1 minute 38 seconds from Riis.

Over the final mountain stages, Ullrich ascended to second place behind Riis, despite conceding time on each mountainous stage, eventually trailing Riis by nearly four minutes. He clinched his first Tour stage victory by winning the final individual time trial, cutting 2 minutes 18 seconds into Riis's lead. This performance prompted Indurain to remark that Ullrich was destined to win the Tour someday, highlighting his remarkable victory, especially given that he had been supporting Riis. Ullrich dismissed suggestions that he would have performed better without assisting Riis, stating that Riis had inspired the entire team. Jan concluded his inaugural Tour in second place, 1 minute 41 seconds behind his teammate Bjarne Riis.

In 1997, Ullrich entered the Tour de France as a favorite, having already secured two victories earlier in the season: a stage win in the Tour de Suisse and the national road race championship a week prior to the Tour. He started strongly, finishing second in the prologue behind Chris Boardman. On stage 9, the first mountain stage won by Laurent Brochard, Ullrich initially worked for Riis. However, when Richard Virenque attacked on the last ascent, Ullrich responded decisively. Riis struggled to keep pace, finishing 30 seconds behind Virenque, Marco Pantani, and Ullrich. On stage 10, from Luchon to Andorra Arcalis, with Riis again falling back, Ullrich dropped back to the team car to request permission to attack. Upon returning to the lead group, he surged up the climb, leaving Pantani and Virenque behind. He finished a minute ahead, securing his first yellow jersey as the leader of the general classification. The French sports newspaper L'Équipe lauded Ullrich with the headline Voilà le Patron (Here is the boss). Ullrich further solidified his lead by winning the Stage 12 time trial, establishing a three-minute gap over second-placed Virenque, who had started three minutes ahead of him.

Marco Pantani launched an attack on the stage to Alpe d'Huez. Ullrich, who held a nine-minute advantage over Pantani in the overall standings, skillfully limited his losses to 47 seconds. Pantani attacked again on the Morzine stage and secured a victory, but Ullrich once more managed to minimize his time loss. In the final time trial, won by Abraham Olano, Ullrich extended his lead over Virenque. The following day, he made history by becoming the first German to win the Tour de France. At 23 years old, Ullrich was the fourth-youngest Tour winner since 1947. Two weeks later, he won the HEW Cyclassics in Hamburg. Another two weeks later, he was narrowly beaten by Davide Rebellin in a sprint at the GP Suisse. His remarkable year culminated in being named "Sports Person of the Year" in Germany for 1997.

In the 1998 Tour de France, Ullrich was the defending champion. He took the lead in the general classification on stage 7, a time trial covering over 36 mile ^{(58 km)} of undulating roads. However, on stage 15, Marco Pantani dramatically altered the Tour's dynamics with a powerful victory that began on the Col du Galibier. During this stage, Ullrich found himself without adequate support when Pantani launched his attack. Pantani crested the Galibier alone. The conditions were misty, and the roads were wet, making the descent treacherous, which allowed Pantani to increase his lead. By the base of the final climb, Les Deux Alpes, Pantani had amassed nearly a four-minute advantage. Team Telekom brought Udo Bölts and then Riis to pace Ullrich, but Pantani maintained his lead, crossing the finish line as the race leader. Ullrich finished almost nine minutes behind, dropping to fourth position overall, six minutes behind Pantani. A contributing factor to Ullrich's difficulties during this stage was the cold weather, which led him to descend without proper thermal gear, and a strategic error in nutritional intake that caused him to experience hunger knock.

Ullrich responded with an attack on stage 16 on the Col de la Madeleine. Only Pantani was able to match his pace. Over the top of the climb, they began to work together. Ullrich ultimately won a photo-finish sprint, moving him into third place overall. He also won the final stage, a 12 mile ^{(20 km)} time trial, which propelled him to second place in the general classification. The 1998 Tour was heavily affected by doping affairs, earning it the infamous nickname "Tour de Dopage."

In 1999, during the inaugural Deutschland Tour, Ullrich suffered a fall after becoming entangled with Udo Bölts on stage 3. This incident resulted in a knee injury that prevented him from participating in the 1999 Tour de France, which was subsequently won by Lance Armstrong for the first of his seven 'victories'. Ullrich then shifted his focus to the world time trial championship in October, using the 1999 Vuelta a España as preparation.

In the first mountain stage of the 1999 Vuelta a España, Ullrich narrowly triumphed over the defending Vuelta a España champion Abraham Olano of Team ONCE in a group sprint that included Frank Vandenbroucke, Roberto Heras, and Davide Rebellin. Olano secured the leader's golden jersey, with Ullrich in second place. Olano won the subsequent stage, a time trial, by almost a minute over Ullrich and further extended his lead in stage 8. However, on stage 11, Ullrich gained back 30 seconds on Olano. Ullrich then seized the overall lead on stage 12, which was won by Igor González de Galdeano, after Olano faltered due to a broken rib and finished seven minutes behind Ullrich; Olano subsequently abandoned the race.

González de Galdeano then became a significant threat to Ullrich, moving into second overall. On stage 18, Banesto and other Spanish teams attempted to break Ullrich, who struggled on the final climb but managed to recover, limiting his losses to González. In the decisive final time trial, Ullrich won by almost three minutes, extending his overall lead to four minutes over González. With this victory, Ullrich secured his second major Grand Tour title. Several weeks later, he became the world time trial champion, surpassing Sweden's Michael Andersson and Briton Chris Boardman.

2.3. Olympic Success and Rivalry with Lance Armstrong (2000-2005)

The 2000 Tour de France marked the first major confrontation between Ullrich, Marco Pantani, and Lance Armstrong. Armstrong proved to be the stronger rider, winning the Tour in 2000 and again in 2001. In the 2001 Tour, Ullrich crashed during a descent, and Armstrong famously waited for him to remount his bicycle. Ullrich later attributed his failure to defeat Armstrong as a reason for falling into depression the following year.

Ullrich's performance at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, was outstanding. In the men's road race, he initiated a three-man break with his Telekom teammates Andreas Klöden and Alexander Vinokourov, culminating in Ullrich winning the gold medal, with Vinokourov taking silver and Klöden securing bronze, completing an all-Telekom podium. He also earned a silver medal in the time trial, losing by only seven seconds to Viatcheslav Ekimov but convincingly beating Armstrong, who finished third.

In May 2002, Ullrich's driver's license was revoked following a drunk driving incident. A subsequent positive blood sample for amphetamine in June 2002 led to the termination of his contract with Team Telekom and a six-month ban from racing. Ullrich stated that he had taken ecstasy combined with amphetamine. He had not been racing since January due to a knee injury, and the German Cycling Federation's disciplinary committee concluded that he had not intended to use the drug for performance enhancement, resulting in a minimum suspension. Following a disappointing 2002 season, Ullrich explored options for a new team, drawing interest from teams such as CSC-Tiscali, Saeco Macchine per Caffè-Longoni Sport, and Phonak.

On 13 January 2003, Ullrich, along with his advisor Rudy Pevenage, signed a multi-million Euro deal to join Team Coast. However, the team was plagued by financial problems from the outset of the season, which eventually led to Coast folding in May 2003. Ullrich subsequently transferred to the newly formed Team Bianchi, which was established from the remnants of Team Coast by Jacques Hanegraaf, a former cyclist at Team Telekom.

The 2003 Tour de France was the first in many years where Ullrich was not considered a favorite. Early in the race, he fell ill and nearly withdrew. He lost 1.5 minutes to Armstrong in the Alps. However, Ullrich fought back in the individual time trial, where Armstrong struggled with the heat and lost 1.5 minutes to Ullrich, bringing Ullrich within a minute of Armstrong in the overall classification. The next day, Ullrich further reduced the gap by 19 seconds in the first mountain stage. Two days later, Ullrich attacked and rode away from Armstrong on the Tourmalet, but Armstrong managed to catch up. Halfway into the subsequent climb, Luz Ardiden, Armstrong's handlebar became entangled in a spectator's yellow musette and he fell. Ullrich, demonstrating sportsmanship, waited for Armstrong to recover, reciprocating Armstrong's courteous gesture from two years prior. Armstrong then rejoined the group and attacked shortly thereafter.

Ullrich lost 40 seconds in the final kilometers of that stage, making the final time trial decisive. In that time trial, Ullrich crashed, an incident that effectively cost him both the stage and the Tour victory. He ultimately finished second overall, 71 seconds behind Armstrong. For his act of waiting for Armstrong after his fall during the stage to Luz Ardiden, the German Olympic Association (Deutsche Olympische Gesellschaft) awarded Ullrich their fair-play medal. Commenting on the incident, Dan Boyle of the Institute for International Sport stated, "It was an act that will live with him forever; cynics will say he lost money, but it was a highly commendable thing that he did."

For the 2004 season, Ullrich returned to his former team, which was now rebranded as T-Mobile. He went on to win the Tour de Suisse, narrowly defeating Swiss rider Fabian Jeker by just one second overall. In the 2004 Tour de France, he finished fourth, 8 min 50 s behind Armstrong, marking his first finish lower than second place in the Tour. His teammate Andreas Klöden finished second, and Ivan Basso placed third.

In 2005, Ullrich again captained T-Mobile. He maintained a low profile during the early season, making a notable appearance at the 2005 Tour de Suisse, where he finished third overall, behind Aitor González and Michael Rogers.

The day before the 2005 Tour de France began, Ullrich was training when his team car unexpectedly stopped. Ullrich crashed into the back window, ending up in the car's back seat. Less than 24 hours later, Armstrong surpassed Ullrich in the time trial. Ullrich suffered another fall in the mountains, bruising his ribs, which hindered his ability to keep pace with either Armstrong or Ivan Basso. Ullrich then shifted his focus to securing a podium position by finishing ahead of Michael Rasmussen. He performed well in the second time trial, beating all riders except Armstrong. Rasmussen experienced several crashes and bike changes, ultimately allowing Ullrich to secure a podium finish in the Tour.

2.4. Later Career and Retirement (2005-2007)

After Lance Armstrong retired following the 2005 Tour, Ullrich expressed his intention to continue racing for one or two more years. Early reports indicated that Ullrich was in better physical condition than in previous years, suggesting he might be ready for his second Tour de France victory. However, he finished 115th in the Tour de Romandie on 30 April. An injury to his knee during the off-season could have significantly limited his performance in the 2006 Tour de France, had he participated.

In May 2006, Ullrich competed in the Giro d'Italia as preparation for the Tour de France. He specifically targeted the 50 km time trial on stage 11, where he secured a victory by 28 seconds over Ivan Basso, who in turn was 33 seconds ahead of Marco Pinotti. Only five riders finished within two minutes of Ullrich. Ullrich later withdrew from the Giro during stage 19 due to back pain. His coach, Rudy Pevenage, stated that the issue was not severe but that Ullrich wanted to avoid potential problems ahead of the Tour de France.

Ullrich went on to win the Tour de Suisse for a second time, securing the victory by winning the final time trial, which allowed him to jump from third place to first in the overall standings.

Jan Ullrich announced his retirement from professional cycling on Monday, 26 February 2007, during a press conference in Hamburg. At the announcement, he stated, "Today, I'm ending my career as a professional cyclist. I never once cheated as a cyclist." He also indicated that he would serve as an advisor to the Team Volksbank cycling team.

3.1. Operación Puerto Scandal

During the 2006 Giro d'Italia, Ullrich's name emerged in connection with the Operación Puerto doping scandal. Operación Puerto was the code name for a Spanish police operation that began in May 2006, targeting a doping network allegedly led by doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. The operation resulted in a scandal involving several high-profile cyclists. Ullrich vehemently denied the rumors at the time. However, on 30 June 2006, just one day before the start of the Tour de France, he was suspended from participating in the race. Other prominent riders, including Ivan Basso, were also excluded.

On 20 July 2006, Ullrich was officially fired from T-Mobile. General manager Olaf Ludwig announced the decision during the 18th stage of the Tour, between Morzine and Macon. Ullrich expressed his deep disappointment, stating:
"I am very disappointed that this decision was not communicated to me personally but that it was faxed to my lawyers. I find it shameful that after so many years of a good and fruitful working relationship and after all that I have done for the team, I am merely sent a fax."

On 3 August 2006, doping expert Werner Franke claimed that Ullrich had purchased approximately 35.00 K EUR worth of doping products in a single year, citing documents uncovered in the Operación Puerto doping case. A German court later imposed a gag order on Franke, ruling that there was insufficient evidence at that time to directly link Ullrich to doping. On 14 September 2006, officials raided Ullrich's house and collected DNA material while he was on his honeymoon with his new wife, Sara. By 4 April 2007, it was confirmed that Ullrich's DNA sample "without a doubt" matched nine bags of blood seized from Eufemiano Fuentes' office.

3.2. Investigations and Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Ruling

On 18 October 2006, Jan Ullrich laid off his personal physiotherapist, Birgit Krohme, leading to speculation that he had abandoned hopes of returning to racing. Ullrich denied these rumors. The following day, Ullrich canceled his license with the Swiss Cycling Federation, seeking a different federation for a 2007 license. Ullrich claimed that the Swiss Cycling Federation should cease their doping investigation, but the Swiss federation continued its inquiry. On 25 October 2006, a document posted on Ullrich's website from the Spanish court stated that no charges would be filed against him.

The IOC initiated an investigation into whether Ullrich should be stripped of his gold medal won at the 2000 Summer Olympics. This was a possibility because there was an eight-year deadline for such investigations, and the inquiry commenced after seven years. Initially, it was decided that there was no solid evidence directly implicating Ullrich regarding his Olympic performance, allowing him to retain his medals.

In 2008, the German investigation into Ullrich's doping allegations was closed following a settlement, which, under German law, implied Ullrich was found not guilty. The Swiss investigation, however, remained ongoing at that time. It was eventually closed in February 2010 because Ullrich was no longer a member of the Swiss Cycling Federation, thus removing their jurisdiction after his retirement. The UCI appealed this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

In 2010, amid continuing doping allegations, Ullrich was diagnosed with burnout and consequently avoided public appearances for several months. When Lance Armstrong announced his comeback as a professional cyclist, Ullrich explicitly stated that he would not follow suit.

In February 2012, Ullrich was ultimately found guilty of a doping offense by the CAS. He received a retroactive ban from 22 August 2011, and all results he achieved since May 2005 were officially removed from his palmarès. Ullrich subsequently issued a statement on his website, confirming he would not appeal the decision. In this statement, he acknowledged having contact with Fuentes, describing it as a mistake he deeply regretted.

3.3. Public Confession

In June 2013, Jan Ullrich publicly admitted that he had engaged in blood doping, with assistance from the Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. He also stated, "I'd always said that Lance wouldn't get out of it. He made too many enemies." His name also appeared on a list of doping tests released by the French Senate on 24 July 2013. These tests, collected during the 1998 Tour de France and retested in 2004, were found positive for EPO. Later, in 2023, Ullrich made a more comprehensive admission, confirming that he had used performance-enhancing substances throughout his professional career, starting from when he turned professional with the Telekom team in 1995.

3.4. Olympic Medal Controversy

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Ullrich secured first place in the men's road race and second place in the men's time trial. Unlike Lance Armstrong, who was stripped of his medal and subsequently returned it, Ullrich declared that he would refuse to return his Olympic medals if his results were to be annulled. In an interview with Sky Sports, he justified his stance by stating: "Almost everyone at the time was taking performance-enhancing substances. I didn't take anything that was not taken by the others. It would only have been cheating for me if I had gotten an advantage, which was not the case. I just wanted to ensure I had an equal opportunity." To date, Ullrich has not been officially stripped of his Olympic medals.

5.1. Family Life

From 1994 to 2002, Ullrich resided in Merdingen, Germany, with his partner, Gaby Weiss. Together, they had a daughter, Sarah Maria, born on 1 July 2003. In 2002, the family relocated to Scherzingen, within the municipality of Münsterlingen, Switzerland. Their relationship ended in separation in 2005, reportedly due to Weiss's reluctance to be in the media spotlight, which conflicted with Ullrich's celebrity lifestyle. Following the separation, Ullrich continued to live in Scherzingen, while Gaby Weiss and Sarah returned to Merdingen. In September 2006, Ullrich married Sara Steinhauser, who is the sister of his former teammate and training partner, Tobias Steinhauser. Jan and Sara had three children: their first son, Max, was born five weeks prematurely on 7 August 2007. Their second son, Benno, was born on 25 January 2011, and their third son, Toni, arrived on 31 October 2012.

5.2. Health and Legal Issues

In 2002, Ullrich's driver's license was revoked after a drunk driving incident, and he tested positive for amphetamine.
In 2017, Ullrich was convicted in Switzerland of drunk driving related to a 2014 car crash that resulted in injuries to two people. He received a suspended sentence of four years and was issued a fine of 10.00 K EUR. Towards the end of 2017, his personal struggles with alcohol and drugs led to his separation from his wife, Sara.

In August 2018, Ullrich faced legal charges in Spain after he reportedly broke into the Mallorca home of his neighbor, German actor and filmmaker Til Schweiger, and threatened him. An alleged attack on an escort in a Frankfurt hotel subsequently led to his admission to a psychiatric hospital. On 28 August 2019, a German court ordered him to pay a fine of 7.20 K EUR in connection with the incident involving the escort.

In 2018, Ullrich publicly disclosed that he had been diagnosed with ADHD.
In a 2021 podcast appearance with Lance Armstrong covering the 2021 UCI Road World Championships, Ullrich revealed that he had fully recovered from his personal difficulties but admitted he had come close to suffering the same fate as Marco Pantani, who died in 2004 following acute cocaine poisoning. Ullrich recounted to Armstrong: "Three years ago I had big problems and then you came to see me. I was so glad you came and yes, I was just like Marco Pantani . . . nearly dead."