The 4th episode of the Amazon Prime documentary "Jan Ullrich - The hunted" entitled "Crash" looks at Ullrich's time after his exclusion from the 2006 Tour de France, his relationship with the media, his addiction to drugs and the associated crashes, as well as his fight back to life.
"Jan Ullrich - The Hunted": 4th episode - "Crash": The plot
Looking back on the fateful year 2006
In 2006, Jan Ullrich is suspended shortly before the start of the Tour de France because a strong suspicion of doping comes to light. As the events have already been described in the first episode, the focus here is on the internal communication of Team Telekom. Ullrich had assured Christian Frommert, the team's head of public relations, internally that there was "no truth" to the allegations against him. The Tour de France suspension hits Ullrich hard and he is subsequently subjected to strong public criticism. For a long time, he remained silent on the doping issue. The scandal affects not only him, but his whole family: his brother Stefan loses his job as a mechanic and his mother has to seek psychological help. Legal action is also taken against Ullrich. In addition to the public criticism, he has to justify himself because of a criminal charge of fraud. He seeks an escape into the private sphere, marries Sara Steinhauser and withdraws from the public eye with her.
"How can I cheat on someone who does the same thing? It's just an adaptation. And that's how you lied to yourself back then" - Jan Ullrich, on the subject of doping
Extent of the doping scandal
The doping scandal surrounding Eufemiano Fuentes is coming to light with increasing clarity. The Spaniard is said to have set up one of the largest doping networks in the world. When Jef D'hont, a former Team Telekom employee and another key witness, comes forward, the doping structures in the German cycling team become increasingly clear. Sports medicine at the University of Freiburg, which was medically responsible for Team Telekom, is also involved in the scandal.
"I don't do it for the money, I do it because I like it, because I feel good about it." - Eufemiano Fuentes
Ullrich's television appearances
In 2007, Ullrich's long-time team-mates Erik Zabel and Rolf Aldag confess to doping. Ullrich also organises a press conference around three months earlier at the end of February. Instead of confessing to doping, he criticises the media's prejudgement of him. He mentions his cycling retirement in casual sentences and then advertises various products. In the documentary, Jan Ullrich himself retrospectively describes the press conference as "completely stupid. Actually, the message should have been that I was ending my career." Ullrich subsequently turns down numerous interview requests, but agrees to one: an interview with Reinhold Beckmann. He describes an agreement with Beckmann in which he is said to have stated that he would not be able to answer any questions on the subject of doping. Nevertheless, the majority of the interview deals with this topic - "Jan has already been exposed," says Christian Frommert.
"Jan [...] also wanted to dish it out because everyone was beating on him [...], just hit back." - Ex-wife Sara Steinhauser on Ullrich's 2007 press conference
The crash
Jan Ullrich retires to Switzerland with his family and becomes increasingly addicted to illegal drugs. In 2014, the former professional cyclist causes a car accident while under the influence of drugs. In 2015, the family moved to Mallorca, where he sought peace and balance through cycling. On the Spanish island, however, Ullrich falls into the wrong circles. "You see someone who looks like Jan, but is an upside-down glove, a complete change of character. [...] You can't even imagine that," explains Sara Steinhauser. In spring 2018, his then wife left Mallorca with their children. "Then I fell into such a hole, then the hard alcohol came along and cocaine too. [...] That broke me," remembers Ullrich.
Ullrich's condition becomes public
Concerned friends contact Richard Steiner, a former red-light kingpin in Vienna, who is supposed to help Ullrich. Steiner tries to gain access to Ullrich through boxing training. After Til Schweiger, friend and neighbour of the ex-professional cyclist, has an argument with Ullrich, he makes his condition public. Ullrich then decides to go to a rehab clinic. Before he realises this plan, he wants to "go one better", says Ullrich. After a disagreement with Ullrich, an escort lady accuses him of wanting to kill her that evening. However, the charges are quickly dropped.
Return home & help from Armstrong
His former great rival Lance Armstrong visits Jan Ullrich in the clinic in Bad Brückenau. There, the German was "in a very bad state. I had never seen anything like it," says the American former cyclist. Ullrich was unhappy with his stay in hospital, so he sought help from his friend Mike Baldinger. Baldinger brought the fallen man back to his home town of Merdingen in Breisgau. There he manages to make a kind of new start.
"I was at rock bottom. My gut told me you were helpless." - Jan Ullrich after his aborted stay in the clinic
In 2021, Ullrich suffers a relapse and is in need of help. His former rival helps him again: Lance Armstrong travels to Mexico to help his friend. After a subsequent stay in a clinic, there is no further relapse. "I think he has come to terms with it," says Mike Baldinger.
End point of the "ReTour" in Paris
At the end of the series, the "ReTour" takes Jan Ullrich via Mallorca to Paris, the place where he celebrated his greatest success in 1997. "This confrontation with the past, once it's over, then he can close this door and take a new step," explains Sara Steinhauser. In Paris, Ullrich addressed his fans: "I have to apologise to my fans. I've always said that I haven't betrayed anyone. But this 'nobody' was wrong. For me, it was aimed at my opponents, but the fans are part of it too."
Conclusion on the 4th episode of "Jan Ullrich - The Hunted"
The 4th instalment of "Jan Ullrich - The Hunted" depicts the events in Ullrich's life after the fateful year of 2006. The events are described in chronological order. Although they are therefore easy to follow, a number of themes and levels are touched upon that overload the plot somewhat: The framework is provided by the "ReTour", the main thread is the events in Jan Ullrich's life after 2006, and other topics are repeatedly alluded to: the history of sports medicine in connection with doping or the behaviour of addicted patients.
The events surrounding Ullrich come thick and fast, especially at the beginning of the episode, and the common thread gets a little lost. Many topics are mentioned in the period around 2006, while the time between 2007 and 2014 is left out. Although the 4th episode seems a little overloaded, it also tells many details from Ullrich's life in a compact way and presents the reasons and motives for Ullrich's actions. He is not the only one who speaks a lot; his ex-wife Sara Steinhauser also often has her say, describing this period of his life from her perspective.
Book tip on the subject of Jan Ullrich
To go with the Amazon documentary, we have another book tip: "Ulle" - Jan Ullrich. The story of a tragic hero. Author Sebastian Moll sheds light on the rise and fall of the Tour de France winner. The book is published by Delius Klasing Verlag and available here.
