Jan Ullrich's former T-Mobile teammate, Rolf Aldag, has a story about the 1997 Tour de France winner that may either inspire hope about Ullrich's current predicament, or more fear, or tell us nothing at all.
Midway through a 1995 neo-pro season that had met no one's expectations, the Telekom team management dispatched Aldag to the Black Forest to ride with Ullrich and apply a gentle tug to the young man's bootstraps.
On the first morning of the impromptu camp, Ullrich called Aldag to ask whether they were still going to train. Aldag was confused. Well, Ullrich said, if he looked out of the window, Aldag would see it was drizzling.
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The tone was set for an exasperating, enlightening couple of days.
On the first and second rides, a pattern was established: Ullrich's wheezing and whining – "I'll never be as fit as you. I'm useless!" – accompanying them on every climb, and Aldag riding out of every junction shaking his head, having had to tell Ullrich whether they were going left or right.
At the end of day two, as they swung down off the final climb and into the valley where Ullrich lived, and his girlfriend Gaby's parents owned a vineyard, Aldag pointed to the unmistakable emerald hump of the Kaiserstuhl, or 'Emperor's Chair' – the hill that dominates the skyline over Freiburg.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/jan-ullrich-and-the-long-road-home
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