Jan Ullrich returns
German 1997 Tour de France winner and 2000 Olympic road race champion Jan Ullrich has made a return to cycling - as a cyclo-sportive rider.
Ullrich withdrew from the world of professional cycling after being implicated in the Operacion Puerto organised doping ring in Madrid, Spain. He was barred from taking part in the 2006 Tour de France, and subsequently retired from cycling - and largely from public life - in 2007.
Now Ullrich has re-emerged in the cycling world, taking part in the Gran Fondo Colnago in Miami, USA, at the weekend and has recently re-launched his website and Facebook page. Ullrich is pictured on the site wearing a white Jakroo cycling jersey bearing the logo "One for cycling, one for all".
Ullrich appeared at the Miami Gran Fondo is his capacity as ambassador to event organiser Star Events. He is scheduled to ride at two further US Gran Fondos in 2012: San Diego in April and Los Angeles in June.
Ullrich is currently awaiting a decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after cycle sport's governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) filed for a suspension. The hearing was originally scheduled to take place before the end of November, but is not listed as a forthcoming hearing by CAS on its website. Ullrich served a six-month suspension after testing positive for amphetamines in 2002, which he took recreationally.
In 2008, it was reported that Ullrich had paid his way out of a fraud investigation undertaken by German prosecutors.
The German enjoyed a successful cycling career, including wins in the Tour de France, Olympic road race, Vuelta a Espana, Tour de Suisse and World time trial title.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Ullrich has always maintained that he did not take performance-enhancing substances.
Ullrich, who turns 38 on December 2, is married to Sara. He has three children: Sarah Maria (8), Max (4) and Benno (10 months).
Related links
April 2008: Ullrich buys his way out of trouble
April 2007: DNA tests confirm Ullrich link to Operaction Puerto
July 2006: T-Mobile sack Ullrich and Sevilla
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
-
The land of legends: Riding on Tadej Pogačar's home roads
As part of our New Worlds issue in Travel Month, Chris Marshall Bell travelled to Slovenia to find out why it produces so many WorldTour riders per head of population.
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
SBT GRVL lives! The story of just how close the gravel community came to losing one of its biggest events
Here are all the details on what the revamped event will look like in 2025 as government headwinds continue to push against the event
By Logan Jones-Wilkins Published