Lance Armstrong was afraid Jan Ullrich might die
Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich have shaped the image of cycling at the Tour de France for years. After the doping revelations, both plunged into deep crises. For the German, it was all downhill. He flirts with death. The American knows this too. When he met him in 2018, he was heartbroken.
Former cycling star Lance Armstrong spoke emotionally about the serious life crisis of his former rival Jan Ullrich. "Pantani was already dead back then. I couldn't have borne to lose another one of us," said the US American in an interview with "Zeitmagazin".
Italian climbing specialist Marco Pantani died of a cocaine overdose in 2004 - Ullrich struggled with drug and alcohol abuse years later. In 2018, during a difficult phase of his crisis, he received support from Armstrong, among others, who visited him in a clinic, and subsequently fought his way back to life. "I didn't know what to expect," said Armstrong looking back: "But I love this man. The fact that he was so unwell broke my heart."
During their active time, a phase in cycling history overshadowed by the doping abuse of a large number of athletes, the two rivals had dominated the sporting events. Ullrich from Rostock won the Tour de France in 1997 and took Olympic gold in the road race in 2000, while Texan Armstrong triumphed seven times in the Tour of France, among others. Both were subsequently convicted of doping.
Armstrong justifies doping
"We were both icons in our countries - I because I had overcome my cancer and inspired many people; Jan as the first German Tour winner," said Armstrong, who was stripped of all Tour titles after his career. "Even if it sounds immodest: We were the greatest in cycling, worldwide. And we were part of this shitty generation."
With regard to doping, he wished "neither I nor Jan nor anyone else from our generation had had to make this decision", said Armstrong: "Unfortunately, the reality was different."
In the past, the now 52-year-old struggled greatly with the doping revelations, which also brought Armstrong's career to a halt in the 2010s. "It took me ten damn years to fight my way out of that hole," he said. "My life imploded. I not only lost several million dollars, I lost almost everything that had defined me." However, Armstrong emphasized that he is now "100 percent" in harmony with his life.
Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich's doping controversies significantly impacted their post-career lives. Despite being stripped of his Tour de France titles, Armstrong acknowledged, "I was part of this shitty generation of cyclists who had to make the doping decision."
Ullrich's struggles with drug and alcohol abuse following his doping scandal were expressed by Armstrong after visiting him in a clinic, stating, "The fact that he was so unwell broke my heart."
Source: www.ntv.de
