Jan Ullrich: Whiskey and cocaine almost killed him

Cycling legend Jan Ullrich (49) has spoken more openly than ever about his devastating alcohol and drug crash after retiring from his career in 2007. He consumed “whiskey like water” and cocaine in large quantities. However, the final collapse only came after he separated from his wife Sara: “The crash in 2018 almost cost me my life, I lost a lot.” He was not “far from death” and was well on his way to destroying himself. But he didn’t want to see that at the time.

“The mix of whiskey and cocaine made my heart colder,” Ullrich tries to explain. That’s why he hardly felt anything anymore: “It brings up all the evil qualities in you. It turns you into a monster in a very short time.” If you no longer have a heart, you are no longer human, says Ullrich.

Jan Ullrich: Love for his children saved his life

To this day it is still a mystery to him how he endured it back then. But his love for his children saved his life. His wife’s threat made him seek professional help. Words that he hasn’t forgotten to this day: “If you don’t change, you won’t see the children anymore, you won’t even be able to get them to the phone.”

He has now “come out of the story in good health” and is happy that he made it back. He now has “both feet back in life” because he has found the strength to come to terms with his life again. He now wants to be fully there for his four children (three sons with ex-wife Sara, a daughter from a previous relationship): “I want to see my children grow up.” He emerged from his life crisis hungry for life.

In the interview, Ullrich also speaks openly like never before about his doping past during his active days: “If you want to keep up, you have to take part.” It felt “completely normal” at the time. If he hadn’t doped, “it would be like going to a gunfight armed with a knife.” So he quickly submitted to this pressure when he became a professional with Team Telekom in 1995.