Ullrich gone...
jimmythecuckoo
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It's kind of sad to see him go since it marks the and of an era. I looking forward to seeing him battle it out at the Tour de France this summer.0
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Another of the old guard gone. Will have to wait and see what happens in Puerto and see how strong the evidence against him is - but does not look good. That said he was a class act on his day! 2003 Tour the first TT and he destroyed Lance. If he had gone to CSC back then instead of Bianchi .... who knows.0
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Shame to see him go, he was one of my all-time favourites but this Puerto thing has obviously taken it's toll and either he knows the evidence will put his back agaisnt the wall or he just can't be assed with the pressure it's bringing to him.
End of an era.
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Pity I will miss him powering his way through 3 weeks of a GT. If there was ever a rider who could have had it all but..........
It has to be Jan Ulrich.0 -
Am sad to see Ulle retire. He's one of my favourite pro cyclists0
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When he won his first Tour (even when he finished second to Riis the previous year) I felt sure he would dominate the sport for years.0
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Who is next?0
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A classic case of too much success too young, without a mentor to guide him? I think he was one of, it not the, last products of the East German athlete machine, their every moment timetabled and once let lose into the wide world, lacked the self control to maintain their athletic prowess. Anyone else remember Evgene Berzin? (OK, different country, but same sysyetm & spelling may be a tad off).
Too many cyclists have been stigmatised by Puerto, if they were guilty, then they deserve sanctions, but the way the "investigation" has been run is deplorable, you'd think the Spanish legal system had been copied from the Indian one.
I hope he'll be remembered as a World and Olympic champion & one of the few real challengers to Armstrong during the Tour, but I suspect it'd be more for conspicuous consumption of pies.
Remember that you are an Englishman and thus have won first prize in the lottery of life.Remember that you are an Englishman and thus have won first prize in the lottery of life.0 -
Old father time has caught up with our strudel munching friend. At 33 he is past his sell by date and he feels its time to go. I have been expecting a retirement statement some time this year.0
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With Armstrong's retirement there was a sense of 'it's all been done' and for the fans the retirement seemed correct and proper. With Ullrich I'm slightly saddened at the potential unfulfilled and the Tours not won.
Ullrich, we'll miss you!0 -
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Verdana" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Echappee</i>
When he won his first Tour (even when he finished second to Riis the previous year) I felt sure he would dominate the sport for years.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
He did...he was head and shoulders above every grand tour rider other than lance and has a brilliant one day palmares..no one trick pony. He's highest ranked of current pros in the all time world league..that says it all.0 -
I loved him and am sad to see him go. Anybody who can eat that much cake and still be excellent is OK by me.
Thanks for everything Jan.0 -
I have to agree with Mel, sad news but at 33 i feel the time was right.0
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I too, am very saddened by this news. What has troubled me more, however, is the way in which he has effectively been, scapegoated and hounded from the sport. At least now, one is hopeful that the disgraceful and outrageous media behaviour towards him, will thankfully,cease.
And for I, there will never be another rider, quite like him.
Jan Ullrich is dignity and grace personified, both on -as well as off- the bike and I would say to him now;
"Hold your head up high Jan and go into your future, remembering always, that we-who stood by the roadsides or tv and applauded your always heroic efforts-are the fortunate ones, as Grand Champions such as you race by, perhaps only once in a lifetime".
Thank you and Good luck in your new life Jan-Bravo! I salute you.0 -
I expected that he would retire this year since there was a "gentleman's agreement" not to sign riders involved with the doping scandal. Basso was lucky and was picked up by Disco, without them he wouldn't have a leg to stand on and that is where Jan ended up. He could have gotten on a team that wasn't good enough to help him win the tour and what is the point of that? Why waste another year and then try to comeback after a 2 year break pretty much. Jan is one of the greats and it is a tragedy to see this happen to him. He will definitely be missed.0
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I am not sure I feel any sympathy for him. If he has cheated its great that he is out of the sport.
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"If" and "not sure" arent good enough for you to decide him out.
I take your point jimmythecuckoo-can I also take the point that you feel the same,and have no sympathy for-the other 50 odd implicated in op then?
Or do you mean that ONE RIDER has to pay the sins of all?
Could you tell me how much more he has to pay?
No offence,but you`re wrong.0 -
Well www.cyclingnnews.com reports today that those bags of blood in Fuentes fridge did contain Ullrich's blood, as revealed by DNA testing.
Who's next, I wonder.
Robert
www.northbucksroadclub.org.uk
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www.northwoodwheelers.org.uk0 -
We'll have to wait.
Probably until the eve of this years tour, just to rub in salt.0 -
Thats a shame to hear but not all that suprising... The minute he heard he was going to have to give a DNA sample he retired from the sport. To be honest theres tons of them on the juice so it doesnt really matter... The racing is exciting as ever
Sad for Ulrich but life goes on.
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I think the the most unfortunate aspect of this entire debacle is that now he will be charged with fraud by some german prosecuter looking to make a name for himself. I don't know what the burden of proof will be in a German court however. Still, Ulrich's retirement and the subsequent DNA findings demonstrate that the 90's were truly an unfortunate decade when comes to all manners of performance enhancers.
Despite his probable guilt I refuse to see Jan as 100% culpable in this arena. As a child of the east german system he most likely was reared in performance enhancers and I am sure he may have been getting assistance from some symmpathetic longtime chemists. I sincerely hope he can come out of this entire sequence of events without it breaking him financially or maimiing his spirit. I wish him the best.0
