DARK SIDE OF THE BOOM

Exactly 20 years ago, a 23-year-old Jan Ullrich became his homeland’s first ever winner of the Tour de France, sparking a professional cycling boom the equal of anything that has occurred in Great Britain in recent years. You would think, then, that Ullrich would be the poster boy of a Grand Départ in Germany’s seventh biggest city, Düsseldorf, this summer.

That is, of course, unless you know your recent cycling history. It would be inaccurate to say that Ullrich’s name has been completely verboten, strictly taboo in the build-up to the main event this summer, but the awkwardness of the question will be hard to ignore in July. Eleven years have passed since the Operación Puerto doping scandal brought disgrace upon the erstwhile “Kaiser” and yet Germany still hasn’t found a way to forgive or forget – just as Ullrich has opted for silence and self-imposed exile in Switzerland and Mallorca over any real attempt to explain or apologise.

Tour chief Christian Prudhomme said in March that he will “not particularly invite Jan Ullrich to Düsseldorf”. The mayor of Düsseldorf talked about second chances for “repented sinners”, with pointed emphasis on the word “repented”. They may well find a way to shuffle past the elephant in the room this summer – just as state broadcaster ARD will gloss over the 20-year anniversary and their sponsorship of Ullrich’s former team. The problems or at least awkwardness will come when others reopen wounds that Germany has spent years trying to heal - or when Ullrich decides to join in the “festivities”.