Ullrich fired
 

I wonder why T-mobile fired him? Did they find any evidence against him?

Always guilty until proven innocent over and over and over again - so says cyclings tradition and the UCI

that was a coward move to fire Ulrich, he did not even do anything

Once the dust settles, he will be a nice pickup for another team.

Teams think it's better to fire a guy guilty or not then risk the chance of losing the team sponsorship. Just think how the Wurth team felt when Liberty drop there sponsorship in the middle of the Giro.

From Velonews:

"The 32-year-old Ullrich had been under contract with T-Mobile until the end of the year, but like most pro rider contracts, Ullrich's included an escape clause, allowing the team to fire any rider suspected of doping."

That's just terrible.....the word being 'SUSPECTED'. It has nothing to do with saying '...any rider proven to have doped or found doping...'

Although if I were Ullrich I would have immediately stepped up and publicly said "Prove it!" or better yet, "Test me right now". It makes me wonder about his innocence if he didn't come out and defend himself or offer himself subject to tests.

Oh...in that case i guess they do have the right to fire him.

Like all stories there are 3 sides. Their side, his side and the truth. I suspect that there is much that has not been brough to light at this point.

We may never know.

Ullrich was asked by team management whether he had any relationship with the doctors in Spain. His contract requires he get permission from the team to work with "outside" coaches and doctors. Ullrich swore to management that he had never had any sort of relationship with them. He promised them that all of the allegations were false.

Later, the team was given access to documents proving Ullrich had been doing business with those doctors. Ullrich then admitted he had been lying to the team management.

He was not fired for "doping". He was fired for lying and attempting to mislead his team's management and owners.

Of course, this IS cycling, so most members of the Forum will defend Ullrich. Only in cycling are the guys who lie and cheat defended...a sport where the athletes are criminals, and the fans LOVE a criminal.

It says something about modern culture that even after Ullrich admits he violated his contract, admits going to an unapproved doctors, admits lying when he got caught, Forum members are feeling sorry for the guy.

If he doped, fine. Can him. If he didn't, fine. But this laundry list of allegations of doping for every cyclist that manages to do well is getting old. I'm still waiting for allegations on Landis after yesterday's performance. I'm certain that because he isn't French they'll be coming.

Won't see me defending him.

Oh you seppo's have so many conspiracy theories don't you!!......It doesn't matter whether he's French or not ....If Ned Flanders doped...hopefully he gets busted & rubbed out....the same as every other doper...regardless of his nationality...perhaps you could 'liberate' France, I believe they have oil!

I like how T-Mobile decided to send the news... in a FAX.

/should have been a text message.

Allegations of whether a great performance is achievable without mother's little helper, and conspiracy possibilities, are entirely different than seeking medical help from an expensive doctor known to conduct the best doping program. Especially, when you have access to free team doctors. The standard shouldn't be pictures of him with needles in his arms. Obviously, it also shouldn't be he went 10 minutes faster than whole field, so ban him, even if illegal performance enhancement is a reasonable possibility.

And he ride a bike made in Taiwan!

Actually as alanbikehouston said, the issue (probably) wasn't so much "proof" of doping, but the fact that he lied and violated his contract. If the contract were that he was not allowed to eat chicken and he said swears up and down that never ate chicken but someone turned up some footage of him eating at KFC it would be the same thing. The fact that the lying also happens to involve a doctor who has supplied doping products and services to other athletes just makes it even more juicy (mmm, like chicken!).

I do feel sorry for Jan, whether it turns out he actually doped or not. I have to wonder if his ProTour career is over, or very close to it after the dust settles on all of this.


You can be sure someone will allege it. But I don't think it has anything to do with his nationality (nor the nationality of the accusers)...just the fact that it's cycling and his performance was quite miraculous -- it's automatically suspect, especially in this year's tour (though IMHO anyone actually doping this tour would be an absolute *fool*...testing unfortunately is not enough to confirm or deny it though).

Anyone actually to admit to doping after being accused? In any sport???
Nobody seems to own up to it until they are almost dead like Lyle Alzado.
It would be nice to see a guy stand up and say I made a mistake than to keep denying it.
Anyone think he didn't do it?
Kenal0

Ullrich who?

Geez, Ullrich just can't get out of his own way. He went from being a favorite to win the TdF to getting fired from the team he led in the matter of a few weeks... Amazing.

What about David Millar???

Smoking gun.

+1

ibid (Well, except the "Only in cycling..." part. Cycling ain't got nothing on college football in Florida... Hell, unless you use your Heisman to beat the crap out of your baby-mother -- in Florida football it is all good.)

While this may be true, Ulrich was fired for not providing proof that he did not dope. He refused to provide DNA samples that would prove that the blood supplies they found in the investigation were not his.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...072100506.html