Jan Ullrich feels like cycling again - at marathon events and cycling events, with great openness and a lot of joy in cycling. We met the German Tour winner on the sidelines of a prostyle cycling weekend in Vaals, The Netherlands.
The upper body has become bulkier, the legs are no longer quite as defined - but it is him, quite unmistakably: Jan Ullrich. The man who wrote sports history at a young age with his victory in the Tour de France in 1997, who to this day can be mentioned in the same breath as Boris Becker, Michael Schumacher or Steffi Graf. Winner of the Tour, the Vuelta and the Tour de Suisse, world champion and Olympic champion, the man who sparked an unprecedented cycling boom in Germany.
As glorious as she began by winning the amateur world title in Oslo and the tour victory, Ullrich's career ended ingloriously. But that and the malice that the former model athlete had to put up with over the years are forgotten in moments like these. The Prostyle cycling group around Jan Ullrich and his companion Olaf Ludwig has just returned from a 130-kilometer lap on the tracks of the Amstel Gold Race; Freshly showered, you sit in the courtyard of the historic Vaalsbroek Castle and have fun with the bizarre special bike with the two frame joints that Ludwig brought with him. "We experimented a lot to improve our cycling skills," says the 1992 Amstel Gold winner. Most of the guests dare, wobble across the cobbled courtyard to the laughter of the group. And finally, Jan Ullrich also rises, does better than most, joins in the laughter like everyone else. A cyclist among many, on an equal footing with men and women who are also his fans. The man who brought many here to cycling in the first place has arrived at the center of the sports movement he initiated - and he's enjoying it. And of course he also has time for an interview...
Can one speak of Jan Ullrich's new desire to ride a bike?
It's been a while, for more than two years, that I've been on my bike again after my break, during which I hardly ridden at all. And now it has become a real hobby again – with heart and passion.
Are you still interested in professional cycling?
I really enjoy watching the pro races on TV when I have time, but I'm otherwise out of the pro business - apart from hanging out with Klödi, Grabschi, Tony Martin and everyone who lives in my area , still good friends. Otherwise, I feel incredibly comfortable in the everyone's area.
Is cycling just a hobby for the first time in your life?
No – it started as a hobby and was actually a hobby for me until I became an amateur or almost a professional because I was able to win my races with ease and was always the youngest to break all records. The professional business was of course hard work; that was 80 percent work and only 20 percent fun and hobby. It's just a job that is so difficult and in which you have to invest so much - in terms of strength, time, training kilometers...
But now I can drive whenever I want. At my events, I really enjoy talking to people about the topic, answering questions - I have 30 years of experience in the sport and it's always nice when you can pass that on.
The vibe here at Prostyle is just great and I think a lot of the people here got into cycling because of your successes...
That's right, and I hear that again and again - like when a Tony Martin says to me, "You got me into cycling". The boom from that time, which is still going on, is the Jedermann boom, and many of the professionals who still drive now, whether it's Linus Gerdemann or Ciolek, were almost children when I had my great successes and are probably a little inspired by that.
How do you experience the big marathons and gran fondos - isn't something like that a walk in the park for you?
Not really - there's one race I have a lot of respect for, that's the Ötztaler. I only have to take care of people, I don't have to race for time or to win, but I still have to be fit - after all, it's about 6.000 meters in altitude and 240 kilometers. I look after people, some of whom would not get through without my tips. This feeling of getting through is typical for Jedermann – otherwise you could get a license and go cycling. I prefer to look after drivers who are inexperienced and simply enjoy cycling. And then I train a bit more. The cell remembers performance, strength and training stimuli very quickly, but you still have to do a lot, and I now have so many events that I can get back on my few thousand kilometers with them alone. And I also like to train on the side when the weather is right.
How do you experience that with the Jedermann? Can the professional sector perhaps benefit from the enthusiasm?
Yes, maybe – if you see, for example, that thousands of people are interested in cycling and that the ratings for the Tour de France are correspondingly high, then sponsors will certainly come. But as long as the topic of doping and old hats are pulled out again and again, no one dares. We had that last year with Alpecin, who were really willing to put down a few million for a German team. I think it needs a little more time. It also takes courage to choose cycling. We certainly have the potential – there are a lot of young drivers there. It starts down there that maybe in ten years there will be a driver who can perform as well as I can.
Does it sometimes pull you back into professional business?
In the moment not. I often call Jens Heppner, and he's on the road more than he used to be. He still likes it, I prefer to be with my family. I could see myself somewhere for advice – the topic also came up at Alpecin.
In your opinion, what would have to happen for German cycling to get back on its feet?
It's just a matter of time if you ask me. The topic has to get out of the media, we don't have to have a scandal in cycling for a while - then the sponsors will come back. We all have to pull together. We have to trust the drivers again; we also have to start at the bottom, give the parents security for their kids - and there must be no more major scandals in professional cycling for the next five to ten years. And if a sponsor gets involved, then there is another chain reaction and more get involved again.
We have the talent and drivers are still coming, now we just have to keep at it.
Keyword talents: When will the German world-class sprinters finally be joined by a round driver again?
Everyone asked themselves that before 1997 - why does no German win the tour? That was a stroke of luck that Germany or Denmark or now England have only experienced once, because we are not the typical cycling nations. You can't program that, everything has to fit.
I still think very highly of Andreas Klöden - not just because he's my friend. He's still the joker, and I think now he wants to do it again. He has a lot of freedom because everyone knows about his skills and talent, and this card can definitely be played...
Do you actually think that people can understand how a professional cyclist lives?
nope You can't imagine such a profile life. After the six or seven years that I've been out of the business, I can't even imagine how hard it was. You're in these circles, you drive your 35.000 kilometers a year, and you're really planned from morning to night...
Does the skepticism about cycling stem from this lack of understanding?
Of course, these performances are almost abnormal – they're riding in the snow again at the Giro and so on, people can't understand that. They get on their bikes twice and ride up a small wave and realize that they only ride half as fast as a professional – but such a professional career is of course built up over 15 or 20 years. I think you can only really imagine that if you've done it yourself.
Against this background, how do you see the performance of recreational athletes who drive their 6.000 or 7.000 kilometers?
I think it's great - otherwise I wouldn't be doing this here. I have the greatest respect for that, after all they work, and I can't imagine how some people drive thousands of kilometers to prepare for the Ötztal and get family and job in one pot - I take my hat off to them. Cycling only starts to be fun when you're in a bit of shape - and that involves a lot of work, even as a hobby cyclist.