Calls to Reinstate Armstrong’s Cycling Titles

Jan Ullrich, former cyclist and winner of the Tour de France in 1997, has called for the sports’ officials to return the titles that were stripped from shamed icon, Lance Armstrong after he admitted to doping charges during all seven of his Tour de France wins from 1999 to 2005.

Ullrich came second to Armstrong in three of those races, in 2000, 2001 and 2003, but he shot down any suggestions that he should be declared the top cyclist now that Armstrong didn’t hold the title anymore.

Ullrich said that Armstrong should be reinstated with the titles since doping was so prevalent at the time.

“I would give Armstrong the Tour victories back… That’s how it was back then,” said Ullrichin an interview. “It doesn’t help anyone to draw a line through the winners’ list.”

“I only want victories that I’ve experienced on the bike,” added the German. “I don’t want to win anything at the green table.”

In February last year, the Court of Arbitration for Sport stripped Ullrich of his third place in the 2005 Tour de France and banned him from the sport for two years. In a June interview, Ullrich admitted that he had received blood treatments by a Spanish doctor  and last month, a French inquiry discovered that Ullrich had been using the banned substance EPO when he came in second to Marco Pantani in 1998.

Ullrich was asked why he didn’t come clean about the doping when asked repeatedly by authorities over the years but was largely unapologetic.

“I decided differently,” he said. “In hindsight, perhaps I would have done some things differently. But I am no god that can see everything and do everything right.”

Ullrich, who has since retired from the sport, says that he believes in all honesty that cycling today is a much cleaner sport than it was in his heydays.