Ullrich Calls it Quits
February 26, 2007
Ullrich won the Tour de France in 1997 but his career has been under a cloud since being he was withdrawn from last year's Tour after being linked with a massive doping investigation in Spain.
Ullrich, who has strongly denied involvement in doping, was suspended and then dropped by his team, T-Mobile. He has not raced since and currently lives in Switzerland.
Spanish blood scandal
In May, Spain's Civil Guard raided Spanish addresses and found anabolic steroids, blood transfusion equipment, dozens of bags of frozen blood and documents listing some 200 professional athletes, including cyclists, who police said were receiving illegal doping products and treatment from a Spanish doctor.
Nine riders said by police to be on that list were withdrawn from the Tour de France before the start in July, including Ullrich.
Ullrich has strenuously denied the doping allegations, but he was suspended and then sacked by his T-Mobile team in July. He then took legal steps to prevent DNA evidence being obtained from Switzerland for comparison, although he has since agreed to provide Bonn prosecutors with a DNA sample. Ullrich ends his active cycling career without currently holding a professional contract.
Falling from grace
Ullrich was the first German ever to win the Tour de France, when he was 23. He went on to take gold in the Olympic road race in 2000, followed by several other world titles, but his achievement have repeatedly been overshadowed by highly publicized battles with weight problems, a drunken driving incident and a positive doping test in 2002 after ingesting two ecstasy pills.
Ullrich's announcement finally spells the end to a tumultuous career. He will be regarded by many as the German cyclist of the century who failed to live up to his promise.
Jan Ullrich fact file
Date of birth: December 2, 1973
Place of birth: Rostock (former East Germany)
Height: 1.83 m
Weight: 73 kg
One-day races:
Olympic Games: 1st road race (2000), 2nd time trial (2000)
World championships: 1st time trial (1999 and 2001), 3rd time
trial (1994)
German road race championships: 1st (1997, 2001)
German time trial championships: 1st (1995)
HEW-Cyclassics 1997, Luk-Buhl 1997, Tour of Berlin 1998, GP of Nuremberg 1998, Coppa Agostoni 2000, Tour of Emilia 2001, Dortmund Classic 2001, Tour of Cologne 2003, Coppa Sabatini 2004
Three-week races:
Tour de France: 1st (1997), 2nd (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003), 3rd (2005), 4th (2004)
Stage wins: 7
Yellow jersey: 18 days
Tour of Spain: 1st (1999) plus two stage wins
Tour of Italy: time trial stage win (2006)
Other stage races:
Tour of Switzerland (2004, 2006) plus 5 stage wins
Regio Tour 1996
Teams: Telekom (1994-2002), Team Coast (2003), Bianchi (2003), T-Mobile (2004-2006)