"Like a boil": Jan Ullrich wants to admit mistakes

Jan Ullrich has reaffirmed the need for a comprehensive reappraisal of his past. "It's like a boil that you have to squeeze out and then it gets better," said the only German Tour de France winner in the podcast "All roads lead to glory".

The streaming service "Amazon Prime Video" is currently filming a four-part documentary about the 48-year-old, who attracted attention after his career with numerous escapades, which is due to be released next year.

In it, Ullrich apparently also wants to talk about doping: "There's honesty, of course, and all this stuff about how it really was. That you really have to drop your trousers."

Going public is primarily intended to help him come to terms with the past. "Two years ago, I couldn't have imagined that I would do this. But the people around me motivated me and said: 'You didn't manage to deal with it the way you did and drifted off into alcohol and drugs. That was the wrong way. Why don't you try it this way? Of course I have sleepless nights," said Ullrich.

The Rostock native had previously suppressed many aspects of his life: "That didn't work. You have to bring it back up again. I imagine it like this in my brain: There are many rooms that are closed off. You have to get back to them."

Ullrich has obviously passed on his love of cycling to his two sons. "Toni and Benno rode their first bike race. They booked a day licence and rode the cycling criterium in Wangen," said Ullrich. He thinks it's great when children fulfil their urge to exercise. He was very proud.

Ullrich was the only German to win the world's most important cycling race 25 years ago and triggered a cycling boom in Germany. The career of the multiple world champion came to an abrupt end in 2006 after his connection to doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes became public. He was later banned by the International Court of Justice for Sport Cas for this offence. After that, Ullrich also made many negative headlines in his private life.

Before the Tour de France this summer, an ARD documentary caused a great stir. However, the 2000 Olympic champion did not appear in the documentary himself due to the Amazon contract.

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