Jan Ullrich confesses to doping: “I cheated”

Former cyclist Jan Ullrich, Germany’s only Tour de France winner, has once again confirmed that he took part in doping during his career, stating that it was something that was “accepted as the norm” in sport and that he it would have been difficult for him to opt out of such practices. Ullrich retired from cycling in 2007 claiming at that time that he had never cheated.

Now, 50, Ullrich has confessed that he was living a lie but explained that rejecting doping “probably would have meant the end” of his career.

Doping was part of the game, says Ullrich

“Ultimately, I cheated, yes. What we did was not right,” he told German television channel ZDF, adding that those responsible for his team told him that doping was just a part of the sport. “From that standpoint, it’s natural that you think about it, that you want the same weapons. You don’t want to go to a shoot-up with a knife, that’s just the way things are,” he reasoned.

In one way, Ullrich felt that doping was simply another way for him to continue demonstrating his talent. “I thought that was part of being a professional and I went with the flow,” he said, before turning the conversation to EPO (Erythropoietin - hormone, which controls the formation of red blood cells).

“When I found out that it was being used widely, sure I wanted to participate” he acknowledged. Ullrich’s career ended in 2006 after he was expelled from the T-Mobile team over a doping issue involving Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. He never confessed to his doping practices until last November - shortly before the release of a four-part Amazon Prime documentary The Hunted.

Ullrich’s fall from grace

In the series, Ullrich finally came clean about his doping past and also opened up on his struggles with alcohol and cocaine abuse, along with his skirmishes with the law following his retirement. “It would be wrong to say that I haven’t deceived anyone. I was referring to my opponents, but of course, there were also the fans. I hope that all the people who will see the documentary can put themselves in my place a little. Today, I feel lighter, and I am at peace with my past,” he said at the time.

In his latest interview with ZDF, Ullrich admitted that he was left in a “state of shock” when he was expelled in 2006. “You tell yourself that you’re not doing anything that is illegal, ” he said, speaking on his own behalf and on behalf of the cycling community, while stating that the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) knew full well about the practices, but remained silent.

“I didn’t want to believe that they were eliminating me, especially my team, because they knew internally what was going on,” he said. Ullrich said his later problems were the result of persistent doping accusations. “I couldn’t think of anything better than drugs and alcohol,” he confessed.

At one point, during his lowest ebb, he was drinking whisky “like it was water” although he says that now he has “nothing to do with those substances”. He concluded, “Personally, I believe that the system can only change if the governing body of world sport remains alert”.