This has got to be a pisstake /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/10/cyclist-jan-ullrich-doping-hair
When a cyclist gets caught doping, there are generally two ways of dealing with the shame. You can go the
David Millar route of first denying it, then accepting it and finally speaking out about the pressures under which young riders succumb to temptation. Or you can be
Alberto Contador, blaming a failed test on some dodgy steak and maintaining your innocence even when pronounced guilty.
But the disgraced Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich has taken a rather different tack by becoming brand ambassador for a German hair stimulating lotion, which has the slogan: 'Doping for the hair'.
The deal was announced on Wednesday, a day before
Ullrich was handed a two-year ban in relation to a blood-doping scandal that engulfed his sport six years ago.
Ullrich appeared at a press conference in Bielefeld,
Germany, to announce he was to become the face of the Alpecin
Cycling Day, a new cyclo-sportive for amateur cyclists, which bears the name of the hair-loss product.
Alpecin's manufacturer, Dr Wolff, said in a press release that Ullrich regarded the marketing deal as "a kind of new beginning".
Ullrich is quoted as saying: "After a long break I have won back my love of cycle sport. I am pleased to have Alpecin as a strong partner which shares this passion. The Alpecin Cycling Day will be a highlight for all cycling fans."
East German-born Ullrich became the first German to win the Tour de France in 1997 and won Olympic gold and silver medals at the Sydney 2000 Games. The rider, a huge star in his home country during his prime, also finished second in the tour on five occasions, three of them behind the seven-times champion Lance Armstrong.
He retired in 2007 under a cloud after being implicated in Operación Puerto, a series of Spanish police raids that uncovered more than 200 codenamed blood bags, some of which were linked to cyclists.
"We are delighted that Jan Ullrich is supporting our cycle sport event," said Eduard R Dörrenberg, managing director of the Dr Wolff group, in a press release. "His example shows that you can not only rise to the top but also fall back down. Then it's all about getting yourself back up again."
Dörrenberg told German media it was a "complete coincidence" Ullrich was associated with a product with such a provocative slogan and to suggest otherwise was "complete nonsense". Alpecin has used the 'Doping for the hair' catchline for a number of years and has been involved in sponsoring cycle sport for decades.
He said: "We don't believe in simply using a famous face in our advertising. Our relationship with Ullrich is not a short-term PR gag but something which is consciously meant for the long term."
Following the announcement of the ban, Ullrich, who had a
well publicised "burnout" after retiring, issued a
statement on his websiteexpressing remorse for what he had done.
He confirmed he had had "contact" with Eufemiano Fuentes, the doctor at the heart of the blood doping operation. He wrote: "I know that it was a big mistake and I regret it deeply. I want to say to everyone that I am truly sorry.
