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Suspended sentence for drink driving former Tour winner Jan UllrichJan Ullrich riding for T-Mobile (picture credit Heidas:Wikimedia Commons).jpg

Suspended sentence for drink driving former Tour winner Jan Ullrich

"I was stressed and wanted to go home as soon as possible" said former champ...
by Sarah Barth
Sat, Sep 16, 2017 10:43
7

The Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich has been handed down a suspended 21-month prison sentence by a Swiss court, which found him guilty of drunk driving.

Ullrich was found to be ‘heavily drunk and medicated’ when he crashed into two cars in the village of Happerswil in Switzerland.

He has also been ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 Swiss francs (£7,700).

There were no injuries, but Ullrich was found to be driving at over 130kmph in an 80kmph area.

Tests showed sleep medicine as well as high levels of alcohol in the 1997 Tour winner’s blood.

"The limits are the same for everyone, whether he is a top athlete or a normal person," the judge said according to Blick newspaper.

His silver Audi A6 station wagon is said to have rear-ended a Citröen C3 Pluriel at a stop sign . The Citröen flipped over from the force of collision, while Ullrich’s car then hit an Alfa Romeo 147 before ending up in a field.

Speaking to the newspaper shortly afterwards, Ullrich claimed that alcohol had not been involved, although he admitted that he had been driving around 20km/h too quickly.

“I’m sorry. I was stressed, coming from an appointment, and wanted to go home as soon as possible.”

"It's inexcusable to have driven in the state I was in. It was a terrible mistake, and I deeply regret it," he commented.

This is not the first time that Ullrich has been in trouble for drink driving. In 2002  he lost his driving licence for a year and was fined two months’ salary following another incident.  

On that occasion, he knocked out a rack of bikes with his Porsche 911 outside a Freiburg hotel in the early hours of the morning. He fled the scene, but a witness took the number of his car and informed the police. When they took a blood sample from him, he was found to have three times the permitted level of alcohol in his blood when driving.

Initial reports said that Alexandre Vinokourov was also in the car, but this proved not to be the case. However, ex-world tandem champion Erk Pokorny was, along with two girls.

Jan Ullrich
drink driving

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7 comments

Avatar
Boss Hogg | 7 years ago
0 likes

"He fled the scene, but a witness..." Nice guy with undoubtful ethical integrity. I bet he never doped when he was racing.

Avatar
wycombewheeler | 7 years ago
1 like

If we can't expect people who are often on the road as vulnerable road users to drive safely then what chance of those who are only ever in metal boxes behaving?

Could just as easily have killed someone.

Avatar
Ush replied to wycombewheeler | 7 years ago
2 likes

wycombewheeler wrote:

If we can't expect people who are often on the road as vulnerable road users to drive safely then what chance of those who are only ever in metal boxes behaving? Could just as easily have killed someone.

It just goes to show that motorized vehicles are dangerous to leave in the hands of a vast array of people:  hence the huge numbers of deaths due to them every year.   If these were gun or knife deaths then the Mail/Sun/Times/Guardian would be leading marches on Downing Street to thave menace removed.

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to Ush | 7 years ago
1 like
Ush wrote:

wycombewheeler wrote:

If we can't expect people who are often on the road as vulnerable road users to drive safely then what chance of those who are only ever in metal boxes behaving? Could just as easily have killed someone.

It just goes to show that motorized vehicles are dangerous to leave in the hands of a vast array of people:  hence the huge numbers of deaths due to them every year.   If these were gun or knife deaths then the Mail/Sun/Times/Guardian would be leading marches on Downing Street to thave menace removed.

Not so sure, considering gun deaths in USA where gun ownership is widespread. Very little political will to change the status quo. If the legislators could see the consequences of motor vehicle usage back when they were introduced, people would still be driving behind a man with a red flag.

Avatar
Johnnystorm replied to wycombewheeler | 7 years ago
0 likes
wycombewheeler wrote:
Ush wrote:

wycombewheeler wrote:

If we can't expect people who are often on the road as vulnerable road users to drive safely then what chance of those who are only ever in metal boxes behaving? Could just as easily have killed someone.

It just goes to show that motorized vehicles are dangerous to leave in the hands of a vast array of people:  hence the huge numbers of deaths due to them every year.   If these were gun or knife deaths then the Mail/Sun/Times/Guardian would be leading marches on Downing Street to thave menace removed.

Not so sure, considering gun deaths in USA where gun ownership is widespread. Very little political will to change the status quo. If the legislators could see the consequences of motor vehicle usage back when they were introduced, people would still be driving behind a man with a red flag.

I think you're in agreement there!

Gun deaths are tolerated in the USA as gun owners aren't a minority, in the UK we didnt mind outlawing handguns as so few people felt they were being hard done by. However, while far more people are being run over than were ever being shot little gets done to deal with it as so many motorists don't want the inconvenience.

Avatar
Johnnystorm | 7 years ago
4 likes

Jesus. He's got off lightly considering what happened and his past form. What a twat.

Avatar
Yorkshire wallet replied to Johnnystorm | 7 years ago
0 likes
Johnnystorm wrote:

Jesus. He's got off lightly considering what happened and his past form. What a twat.

+1 on the twattery.

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