Jan Ullrich facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jan Ullrich

Ullrich in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Jan Ullrich
Nickname	Der Kaiser (The Emperor) Der Jan Der Junge (The Young one) The Yoyo
Born	(1973-12-02) 2 December 1973 (age 51) Rostock, East Germany
Height	1.83 m
Weight	73 kg (161 lb; 11 st 7 lb)
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France General classification (1997) Young riders classification (1996, 1997, 1998) 7 individual stages (1996, 1997, 1998, 2003) Vuelta a España General classification (1999) 2 individual stages (1999) Stage races Tour de Suisse (2004) One-day races and Classics Olympic Road Race (2000) World Time Trial Championships (1999, 2001) National Road Race Championships (1997, 2001) National Time Trial Championships (1995) Other Vélo d'Or (1997)

Jan Ullrich, born on December 2, 1973, is a famous German former professional road bicycle racer. He is known for his amazing wins in major cycling races. Jan Ullrich won a gold medal and a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

He also won the 1997 Tour de France, which is one of the biggest cycling races in the world. This win made him the first German to ever win the Tour de France! He also won the 1999 Vuelta a España, another important race.

Later in his career, there were questions about whether he had used banned substances. In 2012, he was found to have used substances that give an unfair advantage. Because of this, some of his results from May 2005 onwards were removed. He retired from cycling in February 2007.

Jan Ullrich's Cycling Journey

Starting Young: Early Life and Amateur Races

Jan Ullrich started cycling at a very young age. He joined a local club called SG Dynamo Rostock when he was a kid. He won his first bike race at just nine years old, even though he was riding a rented bike!

In 1986, he went to a special sports school in Berlin. This school helped young athletes train and get better. He became a champion in East Germany in 1988. After the Berlin Wall came down, his school closed. Jan and his teammates then joined an amateur club in Hamburg.

In 1993, when he was 19, Jan Ullrich won a big amateur road race at the 1993 UCI Road World Championships in Oslo. The next year, he placed third in a world time trial championship. These early wins showed he was a very talented cyclist.

Becoming a Professional Cyclist

In 1995, Jan Ullrich became a professional cyclist. He joined the Telekom team. In his first year, he became the national time trial champion in Germany. He also did well in stages of the 1995 Tour de Suisse.

He wanted to race in the 1995 Tour de France, but his team thought he was too young. Instead, he rode in smaller races and gained more experience.

First Tour de France: 1996

Jan Ullrich decided to skip the 1996 German Olympic team to ride in his first Tour de France. He started strong and stayed near the top. In the mountain stages, he showed how good he was at climbing.

He helped his teammate, Bjarne Riis, who was leading the race. Even though he was helping, Jan still managed to finish second overall. He also won a stage, which was his first Tour de France stage win! People started to say that Jan Ullrich would win the Tour de France someday.

Winning the Tour de France: 1997

Ullrich with teammate Udo Bölts crossing the Vosges mountains during the 1997 Tour de France

Before the 1997 Tour de France, Jan Ullrich had already won two races, including the German national road race championship. He was a favorite to win the Tour. He started very well, finishing second in the opening time trial.

On a tough mountain stage, Jan Ullrich attacked and left other top riders behind. He finished a minute ahead, which earned him the yellow jersey. This jersey means you are the leader of the race. A French newspaper called him "the boss."

He continued to ride strongly, especially in the time trials. He won another stage by a huge margin. Even when other riders attacked in the mountains, he managed to limit his losses. Jan Ullrich became the first German to win the Tour de France. He was only 23 years old, making him one of the youngest winners ever! After the Tour, he won another race in Hamburg and was named "sports person of the year" in Germany.

Defending His Title: 1998 Tour de France

In 1998, Jan Ullrich returned to the Tour de France as the defending champion. He took the lead early in the race. However, on a very difficult mountain stage, another rider named Marco Pantani attacked. Jan Ullrich was left behind and lost a lot of time.

He fought hard in the remaining stages, winning two more stages, including a time trial. He managed to move up to second place overall by the end of the race. The 1998 Tour was a challenging one, with many questions about fair play in cycling.

After the Tour, Jan Ullrich had a knee injury that kept him from riding in the 1999 Tour de France. He then focused on another big race, the Vuelta a España.

Winning the Vuelta a España: 1999

Jan Ullrich showed his strength in the 1999 Vuelta a España. He won a mountain stage and then took the lead in the race. He continued to ride well, especially in the time trials, where he won by a large margin.

Jan Ullrich won his second major Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España! A few weeks later, he also became the world time trial champion.

Chasing the Tour de France Title Again

Battling Lance Armstrong (2000–2002)

The 2000 Tour de France brought Jan Ullrich face-to-face with Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani. Armstrong proved to be very strong and won the Tour that year and again in 2001. Jan Ullrich finished second in both of these Tours.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Jan Ullrich had an amazing performance. He won the gold medal in the road race, with his teammates Alexander Vinokourov and Andreas Klöden finishing second and third. He also won a silver medal in the time trial, beating Armstrong.

In 2002, Jan Ullrich faced some challenges, including a knee injury. His contract with Team Telekom ended, and he looked for a new team.

A Close Race and Good Sportsmanship (2003)

In 2003, Jan Ullrich joined a new team called Team Bianchi. Many people didn't see him as a favorite for the 2003 Tour de France. He even got sick early in the race.

But Jan Ullrich fought back, especially in the time trials. He closed the gap on Armstrong. On a mountain stage, Armstrong fell, and Jan Ullrich waited for him to get back on his bike. This showed great sportsmanship. Armstrong then caught up and attacked.

Jan Ullrich finished second in the Tour, losing by a very small amount of time. For waiting for Armstrong, he received a special fair-play medal.

Later Tours (2004 and 2005)

In 2004, Jan Ullrich returned to his old team, now called T-Mobile. He won the Tour de Suisse before the Tour de France. In the Tour de France, he finished fourth.

In 2005, he was the captain of T-Mobile again. He had some bad luck, including hitting his team car and falling in the mountains. He still managed to finish third overall in the Tour de France.

After Armstrong's Retirement

After Armstrong retired in 2005, Jan Ullrich planned to race for a few more years. He seemed to be in good shape. In 2006, he won a stage in the Giro d'Italia and won the Tour de Suisse for the second time.

Questions About Fair Play

During the 2006 Giro d'Italia, Jan Ullrich's name came up in a case about unfair practices in cycling. He denied the rumors. However, the day before the 2006 Tour de France, he was not allowed to race. His team, T-Mobile, later fired him.

Officials investigated, and in 2007, it was confirmed that his DNA matched blood samples found in an investigation. On February 26, 2007, Jan Ullrich announced his retirement from cycling. He said he had "never once cheated as a cyclist."

However, in February 2012, a sports court found him guilty of using banned substances. All his results from May 2005 onwards were removed. In 2013, he admitted to using substances that give an unfair advantage. In 2023, he admitted to using performance enhancing substances throughout his career, starting from 1995.

Olympic Medals and Fair Play

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Jan Ullrich won a gold medal in the road race and a silver medal in the time trial. Even though some of his later results were removed, he has not been stripped of his Olympic medals. He has said that he believes he should keep them because, at the time, many riders were using similar substances, and he felt he was just trying to have an equal chance.

Jan Ullrich Bicycles

In May 2006, Jan Ullrich launched his own line of bicycles called "Jan Ullrich Collection." He helped design these bikes, which are made in partnership with a German company called Ghost Bikes.

Personal Life

Ullrich in 2014

Jan Ullrich lived in Germany and then Switzerland. He has a daughter with his former partner, Gaby Weiss. In 2006, he married Sara Steinhauser, who is the sister of one of his former teammates. They have three children together.

In 2018, Jan Ullrich shared that he has been diagnosed with ADHD.

Major Results

Grand Tour General Classification Results Timeline

Grand Tour	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Giro d'Italia	—	—	—	—	—	—	52	—	—	—	—	DNF
Tour de France	—	2	1	2	—	2*	2*	—	2*	4*	3	—
Vuelta a España	DNF	—	—	—	1	DNF	—	—	—	—	—	—

See Also

• List of doping cases in cycling
• List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences

Images for kids

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  Ullrich in 2016

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  Ullrich with teammate Udo Bölts crossing the Vosges mountains during the 1997 Tour de France

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  Ullrich in Hanover, 2005

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  Ullrich in 2005

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  Ullrich in 2014