Wiggins and Ullrich owe a lot to Lance Armstrong: "He has been a godsend"

During their careers, Armstrong and Ullrich were each other's biggest rivals. The German finished second in the Tour de France three times behind the US Postal Services man. "We used to be competitors, with respect for each other," the German told VTM Nieuws. "But we all know what happened after that. I think that brought us together. I had my personal problems, and Lance helped me a lot during that phase. I also visited the US several times. We visited each other and exchanged ideas, and we became good friends."

There were days when everything went wrong for the 1997 Tour winner, but thanks partly to Armstrong, he managed to turn the tide. "When you have big problems, and I had severe issues, it was a sign to me that someone who used to be my biggest competitor was now reaching out to me. He was interested in Jan Ullrich as a person. That was a huge motivation for me so that I could get out of my vicious circle and overcome my problems." Ullrich organized the first Jan Ullrich Cycling Festival in the Black Forest on May 17 and 18, and Armstrong was there.

Bradley Wiggins was also at the event. Like Ullrich, the British Tour winner in 2012 had major problems after his career. Financial issues, as well as alcohol and drug abuse, cast a dark shadow over the life of the multiple Olympic champion. But Armstrong offered him a lifeline. "He has been one of my biggest supporters over the past 12 months. He inspired me to stop drinking and stuff like that and to get my life back on track. He has been a godsend."

Wiggins previously spoke about his cocaine addiction, which he struggled with during his career. "There were days when my son thought he would find me dead in the morning," he said candidly. But cocaine wasn't the only problem. "It's the combination. I smoked everything: one drug leads to another. It becomes a lifestyle. Now, I cycle every day, just like when I was a professional. It's good now."