Report: Jan Ullrich returns to rehab following relapse
Reports in German media say the former Tour de France winner was distraught following a break-up with his longtime girlfriend.
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Jan Ullrich is back in a rehab center, according to a report in the German newspaper Bild.
The 1997 Tour de France winner had a relapse of his long-running struggles with substance abuse and re-entered a treatment facility.
The newspaper reported that Ullrich checked into a Mexican hospital earlier this month on a return trip from Cuba, where he celebrated his birthday.
Also read: How a clean and sober Ullrich pedaled back from the brink
Reports suggest Ullrich, 48, was distraught following a break-up with his girlfriend, who’s been by his side since 2018.
Ullrich has suffered a series of high-profile incidents and doping confessions since retiring in 2006 and he finally entered a rehab center in Miami a few years ago.
Reports said Ullrich will return to a facility in Switzerland upon his return to Europe.
The latest setback comes following a high-profile return to the public eye this fall. Ullrich made a pair of public appearances that confirmed he was appearing healthy again.
He joined former nemesis Lance Armstrong on a podcast and later rode in a 300km-plus gran fondo on Mallorca.
“I’m finally back in the big cycling family,” Ullrich told journalists in Mallorca according to radsport-news.com. “I’m glad to see the old boys again. It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden 300km, maybe back in 2003. My energy is back, and the goal today is just to have fun.”
There was no public comment from Ullrich on his social media channels.