Jan ullrich

I have pretty much lost contact with him since he moved to Mallorca. Maybe I will see if I can get some incite through Steinhauser. I hear Armstrong traveled over to check on him. Very sad that great talents are lost and wasted.

jhuskey said:

I have pretty much lost contact with him since he moved to Mallorca. Maybe I will see if I can get some incite through Steinhauser. I hear Armstrong traveled over to check on him. Very sad that great talents are lost and wasted.

Yeah, JH, it is really sad to read about JU's apparent problems. In fairness, that was a nice gesture by Armstrong to Ullrich.

How is life treating you? I haven't heard from you lately.

The news I am getting is not optimistic and its saddens me to see a great cycling talent fall into ruin. We all have our demons to battle. Some do not win the struggle. Here is hoping for a fast and full recovery for Jan and my prayers for him and his family.

Some celebrities that include actors, artists and athletes suffer from depression. This reminds me of Robin Williams who was trying to fight off manic depression but failed. Some other celebrities resort to unusual acts or weird acts like what Mike Tyson did with the rape of a girl. It may be a syndrome that is related to popularity. But whatever it is, what sad situation that Jan Ulrich is now in.

Corzhens said:

Some celebrities that include actors, artists and athletes suffer from depression. This reminds me of Robin Williams who was trying to fight off manic depression but failed. Some other celebrities resort to unusual acts or weird acts like what Mike Tyson did with the rape of a girl. It may be a syndrome that is related to popularity. But whatever it is, what sad situation that Jan Ulrich is now in.

It is a sad situation.

I am not aware of Jan Ullrich suffering from depression during his career. But perhaps he has developed depression since retiring? Many former professional cyclists, top cyclists at that, seem prone to psychological problems in their retirement. Charly Gaul for example living what is described as a hermetic life for decades after the end of his career.

Many people in all walks of life develop an inability to cope when their working lives stop. It seems that when the discipline of work gets removed they find themselves to be listless and apathetic.

If the media reports are accurate, and if Jan Ullrich does suffer from depression, drinking and taking recreational drugs is the last thing he needs to be doing.

From what I am hearing his issues were brought on by frustration and disappoinment. You call it depression if you want.

Ulrich was a party animal back in his racing days and was often criticized by his management for lack of discipline (getting drunk, gaining weight in the off season, neglecting his training, crashing his cars, using party drugs, etc.). Unfortunately, his latest problems don't seem out of character for him. Hopefully, this is enough to convince him to grow up and deal with his problems. Otherwise, he's going to end up like Pantani.