🎥 Jan Ullrich confronts German doping hunter 17 years after infamous TV moment

Ullrich has managed to climb his way back up from a deep valley. "I was really in a dark place. As an athlete, I needed to suffer a lot, but after my career, that suffering went in the wrong direction. In 2018, I was at my peak, more than a person could physically and mentally handle. The next step would pretty much have been death."

Ultimately, the German - partly with the help of Lance Armstrong - managed to get back on his feet. "How did things get so far? That was a process of several years. It started when I was not allowed to start in the 2006 Tour de France. I went from being a potential winner in the Tour, to things going downhill and suddenly finding myself alone, with all of Germany turning against me. From the best horse in the stable, I went to being a farm horse, which was very hard. And actually, you still feel that pain."

The fact that he is now so openly addressing this saga, including a recent doping confession, has its reasons. "I barely survived that extreme life crisis, that crash. After spending two years strengthening myself physically and mentally, I decided that I really needed to get back on track in life. I actually lost many years, years when my children were much younger than now. I am now mourning that because it stemmed from personal mistakes and weakness."