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Jan Ullrich on his downfall: Massive amounts of cocaine, and drinking whiskey like water

A new documentary does a deep dive into the dark days, and his recovery

01-07-2001 Campionato Nazionale Germania; 2001, Deutsche Telekom; Ullrich, Jan; Bad Durrheim; Photo by: Sirotti
September 14, 2023
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Former pro cyclist and Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich will be the focus of a four-part Amazon Prime documentary, called Der Gejagte (The Prey). The show delves into the life of the 1997 Tdf champ, shedding light on the challenges he faced, including his struggles with depression and addiction. The documentary will hitting screens just days before Jan Ullrich’s 50th birthday, which falls on December 2.

Cocaine, whiskey, a descent into darkness

“I took cocaine en masse, I drank whiskey like water, until I was close to death.” In a preview from the French outlet Le Figaro, the docuseries is set to delve deep into Ullrich’s ‘immense fall’ from five years ago.

“It was life or death. I really wasn’t well. I took cocaine en masse, I drank whiskey like water, until I was close to death,” he said at the presentation of the show in Munich.

ā€œThe most important thing for me is not to want to go looking for the limits for the rest of my life, but on the contrary to find the right balance. I had sufficiently tested the limits, both upwards and downwards. I don’t need that anymore.”

A great rider from a young age

Ullrich was a phenomenal talent. He won the 1993 amateur world championships, the same year his future rival Lance Armstrong would win the professional edition. In addition to the Tour de France, the German also won the Vuelta a EspaƱa and the Tour de Suisse, and he claimed both gold in the Olympic road race and silver in the Olympic time trial. Der Kaiser would often battle it out with Armstrong, finishing second multiple times. However, his career began to unravel when he was implicated in the doping scandal OperaciĆ³n Puerto, and he ultimately retired in 2007.

The fall from grace

ā€œIt would be wrong to say that I did not deceive anyone. For me, I was focused on my opponents, but the fans are obviously part of it,” he said.

His mental health challenges and struggles with addiction were quite public. A drunk driving conviction and a break-in incident, coupled with the separation from his wife, Sara, ultimately led to his admission to a psychiatric hospital.

During his recovery, his old rival Armstrong visited him to offer support.

For the documentary, the cyclist got back on his bike and revisited some of his incredible rides from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

“The goal was for me to go back in time, to go back to the places where I won big races, but also to where I made mistakes, which made me grow,” he said.

Ullrich hopes. “the spectators, the supporters, the people who see this, can put themselves in my shoes.”

ā€œI’ve made peace with my past,” Ullrich said.