Ullrich attacks Armstrong!!!

[Bavarianrider]

In today's edition of the German sports magazine "Sportbild" Jan Ullrich attacks Armstrong.
In an Interview he says that he always knew that Armstrong wouldn't get away with what he did. Ullrich says that Armstrong made himself too many enemies, that he always wanted to be the boss. That for achieving his goals he was merciless especially in relation towards people who worked for him.
Ullrich also says that he is very angry about Armstrong as his case gave another blow to the sport of cycling. He says that a sponsor of him(probably Alpecin) wanted to go into pro cycling but stopped their plans when the Armstong's doping case was covered up.

Ullrich says that he knows that he himself made some mistakes but he insists that he is not a bad person.

 

[ToreBear]

Doesn't sound like much of an attack!!! to me, more like telling it like he saw it. Perhaps the full interview contains more.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Doesn't sound like much of an attack!!! to me, more like telling it like he saw it. Perhaps the full interview contains more.

German media called it an attack, so i simply used that, too

 

[Galic Ho]

Jan isn't a bad person. I'd heard about Alpecin being a potential sponsor. Always wondered what came of that. Hair loss brand right?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

If Jan went as full *** as Armstrong did with doping he would've beaten him all 7 times. Far more talented athlete.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

The whole Armstrong thing is maybe one long paragraph, pretty much as Bavarianrider said. Not much else about it.

Alpecin is a variety of hair care products.

 

[UlleGigo]

Without a doubt. Jan's problem was his work ethic. The year at Bianchi was really the only year after 1997 that he half pie bothered to prepare.

I definitely don't think Ulle's doping program or training was anything compared to Armstrong. Really I don't think he could be bothered most of the time.

What does having the best dope prove anyway? Remembering that Ulle had Riis as a reference point for what EPO could do the answer is a definitive 'not much'.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Our Beloved Cycling News just translated it, i think.

BPC really does call him The Lance. He must be hurting inside.

Censored Cyclist ‏@CensoredCyclist 1m
Ullrich: The Lance Armstrong case severely damaged cycling http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ullrich-lance-armstrong-case-severely-damaged-cycling …

 

[del1962]

From Translation

And when confronted with his earlier statement that he had never betrayed anyone since all the riders were doing the same thing, he answered “Exactly”.

What arrogance from the man.

 

[Pulpstar]

he himself made some mistakes

I assume that is regarding his own doping.

He should have either not doped, or doped better. This middle ground he took of not quite doping as hard as Lance neither won him any TdFs when he was active nor retrospectively when Lance got caught.

 

[perico]

Does Jan break Omerta? Nope.
Does Jan come clean? Nope.
Does Jan name any of his providers? Nope.
Does Jan lay out how he beat the system before Fuentes? Nope.
Does Jan go into details about his team's program? Nope.

Jan + " I made mistakes" + "Lance hurt cycling" = Hero

In all seriousness, I like Jan a lot, but this praise when he has done absolutely nothing in the fight against doping, to the point of maintaining Omerta is a bit ridiculous. He hasn't bucked the system like Floyd or Tyler. I have seen no record of him testifying against Fuentes or anyone else. So what gives? Ah, hatred of the uniballer.

 

[roundabout]

praise

 

[perico]

Maybe a better phrase would be "cheering section."

 

[roundabout]

Don't really see it in this thread.

 

[S2Sturges]

A clean Armstrong versus a clean Jan would not have been a contest, Ulle was far and away a more powerful rider and killer TT'er.

He came from that hard headed East German factory of pain that gave the world some of the most demonic of track sprinters and hard men.

But yes, he did have trouble with the biscuits.. I guess that highly regimented and enforced training provokes the opposite effect eventually, I read that the retired Ali would get in his car to drive to the letterbox cause he hated all the running and training he did as a fighter.. So, no wonder many ex pros let themselves go back then between seasons and after they finished competing..

 

[Miburo]

If Jan went as full *** as Armstrong did with doping he would've beaten him all 7 times. Far more talented athlete.

Agree.

I remember that godefroot said "combine the talent of Ulrich and the amount of work that zabel did and you've a rider that's even more impressive than Merckx"

Maybe a bit too much but i don't think it's *** which says enough.

I'm ashamed of myself that i was cheering for armstrong, stupid kid that i was

 

[Zam_Olyas]

A clean Armstrong versus a clean Jan would not have been a contest, Ulle was far and away a more powerful rider and killer TT'er.

He came from that hard headed East German factory of pain that gave the world some of the most demonic of track sprinters and hard men.

But yes, he did have trouble with the biscuits.. I guess that highly regimented and enforced training provokes the opposite effect eventually, I read that the retired Ali would get in his car to drive to the letterbox cause he hated all the running and training he did as a fighter.. So, no wonder many ex pros let themselves go back then between seasons and after they finished competing..

Forgive me but i find it funny.

 

[deboat]

If you lived in Germany, over winter and eating the local food, beer... you would get fat too!!
I like the way he has not ever said his exact doping history. By not dragging his sponsors in the mud, it shows he does not only think about himself.
The problem is not him or Lance but how it is and was controlled.
UCI problem!!

 

[Ebbe Nyberg]

A clean Armstrong versus a clean Jan would not have been a contest, Ulle was far and away a more powerful rider and killer TT'er.

He came from that hard headed East German factory of pain that gave the world some of the most demonic of track sprinters and hard men.

But yes, he did have trouble with the biscuits.. I guess that highly regimented and enforced training provokes the opposite effect eventually, I read that the retired Ali would get in his car to drive to the letterbox cause he hated all the running and training he did as a fighter.. So, no wonder many ex pros let themselves go back then between seasons and after they finished competing..

When was Jan clean? At the height of the EPO era in 1997?

 

[Ebbe Nyberg]

If you lived in Germany, over winter and eating the local food, beer... you would get fat too!!
I like the way he has not ever said his exact doping history. By not dragging his sponsors in the mud, it shows he does not only think about himself.
The problem is not him or Lance but how it is and was controlled.
UCI problem!!

Lance did not want to drag Nike into it either.

 

[vrusimov]

And even this one...off the bike...has no sticking power. Hypocritical pontification while he continues to tiptoe around his own addictions to EPO and PED's. Say what you will about Armstrong...the man came clean and made his admission, whether it was genuine or not, which is more than you can say for Ullrich...sad really and he has zero credibility. He can't even admit his own responsibility for what he terms damage to cycling. Some nerve I tell you and not unlike Bugno's statement awhile back. Everything wrong with the European peloton is American in nature. Wow!

 

[noddy69]

Sad really. Typical language used by too many from the past and in todays peleton in relation to drug use. They always talk about the case rather than actual drug use doing damage to cycling. If you believe in the language a person uses as a tell then this is one of the biggest.

 

[Ebbe Nyberg]

And even this one...off the bike...has no sticking power. Hypocritical pontification while he continues to tiptoe around his own addictions to EPO and PED's. Say what you will about Armstrong...the man came clean and made his admission, whether it was genuine or not, which is more than you can say for Ullrich...sad really and he has zero credibility. He can't even admit his own responsibility for what he terms damage to cycling. Some nerve I tell you and not unlike Bugno's statement awhile back. Everything wrong with the European peloton is American in nature. Wow!

Agreed. Ulrich's only complaint here is that Armstrong got caught. Strange that he is lionized by the same people who hate Lance.

 

[Berzin]

I don't think Ullrich was naturally the uber-talented rider for grand tours many people think he was. He gets way too much credit for what PED's did to alter his talents, making a rider he's never be without them. Just like Armstrong.

I believe, like many riders of his generation, Ullrich was a rider who exhibited a skillset that was more a byproduct of drugs than natural talent. Without EPO, blood transfusions and/or whatever else he doing, he would not have been a top-notch climber, and Arcalis never happens.

I do believe at worst Jan would have been a great classics, one-day and maybe week-long stage rider, just like Armstrong. But that's it.

As for Jan "attacking" Armstrong, that is just sensationalist media hype. If you read the interview, all he did was state a sobering account of Armstrong's deleterious effect on cycling. His opinions on the Armstrong situation to me seems succinct, to-the-point, and true. No attack there that I can see.

 

[vrusimov]

Agreed. Ulrich's only complaint here is that Armstrong got caught. Strange that he is lionized by the same people who hate Lance.

He did what he had to do to compete is what he says but he could have well won the tour in 96 had it not been for Riis. Vayer's Not Normal describes Ullrich [allegedly] as having been addicted to EPO early in his career:

He finishes 2nd in the 1996 Tour de France behind his leader Bjarne Riis, and is characterized by Jef D’Hont, team trainer from 1992 to 1996, as “addicted to EPO“. But it’s really the whole team that runs on EPO as Riis, Zabel, Aldag, Dietz and Henn admit in 2007.