Jan Ullrich, the Tour de France winner who fell from grace after doping, has said he hopes a new four-part documentary series on his life may help rehabilitate his image, which could lead to working in pro cycling. The German, who has had issues with substance abuse, said last year he almost died from drugs. He was also arrested several times in recent years but appears to be in a more stable period of his life and has now said he was recovering.
The new four-part TV series, which will be broadcast early in the New Year on Amazon Prime, explores his cycling career and his life away from the bike. It follows another series broadcast in Germany in July called 'Being Jan Ullrich'. Filming and production on the new series, called 'Jan Ullrich, The Hunted' and which the former rider has cooperated with. has concluded. Ullrich has given an interview to a German newspaper in advance of its release.
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He said he was not sure what role he could play in a professional cycling team, other than ruling out becoming a directeur. But he was hopeful once the documentary series aired, it may pave the way for a return to pro cycling. Unlike his former rival, he is not banned from cycling and his victory in the 1997 Tour de France still stands.
“Obviously, I won't be sporting director of a team, but if someone needs me, I'm open to anything. But of course, I won't force it”, he said in an interview with Sport Bild magazine. “I hope that after the documentary, when all the issues are discussed again and, I hope, finally concluded, maybe some doors will open again. And then you can live life with more freedom.
"There's been a lot of talk about me lately, positive and negative things. It's time to tell my story, my whole story, how I went from hunter to prey. I would like to take people on a journey through my life, with all the turmoil, setbacks and challenges."
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Asked about the current pro scene, he singled out the German World Tour team Bora-hansgrohe for praise for the progress it had made in recent years.
“The Bora-hansgrohe team has been doing a very good job for years and it just keeps getting better. They have the potential to write an even more positive story. I see a good development of talent in German cycling in general," he said.
Ullrich added Bora-hansgrohe rider Lennard Kämna was a “diamond in the rough” who could “if he is guided well, if he is polished well, one day he could become a true jewel in cycling."
Ullrich was banned from cycling for two years in February 2012 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for blood doping. In interviews just over a year later he admitted his guilt, saying many big names were doing the same. He insisted he did not dope to gain advantage, but to ensure an level playing pitch.
Ullrich, who won the Olympic road race crown in Sydney in 2000, was suspended on the eve of the 2006 Tour de France and never raced again. His results in the last 18 months of his career were annulled as part of his punishment. He confirmed his retirement just before the 2013 season was due to start.
