JAN ULLRICH
I experienced all the highs and the lowest lows with Jan Ullrich. I portrayed him for the first time during my fashion story at the Tour de France, then became his private Photographer in 2005 during the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. I had the privilege of accompanying Jan Ullrich everywhere, while the world press had to stay outside.
The pressure on me was immense; Stern Magazine, L'Equipe and La Gazzetta dello Sport had high expectations. I photographed the entire series with a Hasselblad X Pan Panorama camera, and the images were published worldwide. I accompanied Jan Ullrich for the preparation of the Tour de France 2006 from South Africa to Mallorca and was there at the start of the Tour de France in the Pyrenees, witnessing the doping scandal up close.
It was the biggest corruption scandal in sports history, and one thing is certain: athletes like Jan Ullrich and Lance Armstrong were by no means the only ones responsible for this scandal. The corrupt structure within sports organizations and sponsors played a significant role.
