February 26, 2007 (Hamburg, Germany) – Jan Ullrich (formerly with T-Mobile) announced his retirement from professional cycling today in a press conference reports Eurosport. Ullrich, 33, the only German ever to win the Tour de France (in 1997), had a brilliant 12-year cycling career that also included a victory in the 1999 Vuelta a Espana as well as gold (road race) and silver (time trials) medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He also finished second in the TdF five times. Ullrich is equally credited with sparking a boom in cycling interest in his native Germany. His career was unfortunately marred in the past year by association with the ongoing Operacion Puerto doping scandal in Spain. Ullrich was banned from the 2006 Tour de France, and shortly afterward let go by T-Mobile because of suspicions stemming from Puerto.

Ullrich took advantage of his press conference to take aim at the UCI, accusing cycling’s world governing board of “over-reaction” and of reaching “premature conclusions” during a 43-minute monologue. He described hearing about his suspension while riding an exercise bike and how this was the beginning of a nightmare. There was also some bitterness in his words: “Apart from me, everybody has been acquitted. They are all riding again.”

The Austrian-based, Team Volksbank announced that Ullrich will work as a consultant for that team. At a press conference today in Gotzis, Austria, team manager, Thomas Kofler described how, “Jan Ullrich fits into our plans perfectly: We will keep moving in the right direction and work towards our goals in small, yet dynamic steps.” Kofler went on to describe the German rider as, “one of the most flamboyant and popular characters in the German-speaking sporting world.”