Ex-bike star Jan Ullrich – “I escaped death again”

Former cycling star Jan Ullrich made public statements about his health for the first time after a hospital stay in Mexico. The 1997 Tour de France winner told the “Bild” newspaper: “I had a thrombosis and very severe blood poisoning. I escaped death again! To dispel all speculation: I did a drug test at the beginning of the treatment – and of course it was negative! “

In autumn 2018, Ullrich had admitted drug problems in a statement and said he had undergone treatment. A few months ago, in the presence of his former rival Lance Armstrong, he gave deep insights into what was probably the most difficult phase of his life. «You know my story, three years ago I felt really bad. You visited me and I was on the same path as Marco Pantani – almost dead, ”said Ullrich on Mallorca in the presence of Armstrong and his former teammate George Hincapie and team boss Johan Bruyneel in Armstrong’s podcast“ The Move ”.

This time too, Ullrich thanked Armstrong: “He was the first to see me in Mexico and helped me a lot. I thank him very much, as well as the rest of my team. ” The 48-year-old also said: “My back has also been causing me major problems recently, three or four intervertebral discs have now been completely rubbed off.” He used to be 1.83 meters tall, “now it’s only 1.81”.