Intervention S05-E05 Chad – Crack and Alcoholism 02/03

Website: www.facebook.com After a troubled childhood that sent him to juvenile hall for felony arson, Chad’s father introduced him to cycling at age 15. Chad went pro and cycled on the same team as Lance Armstrong. But after getting kicked off the team for “personality conflicts,” Chad was crushed and turned to drugs. Now homeless, Chad spends his days panhandling, smoking crack and drinking. His family’s many efforts to get him off the streets have failed. Their last hope is an intervention. Epilogue: Chad walked out of the intervention, but accepted the offer of treatment after a subsequent one-on-one meeting with Jeff VanVonderen. Epilogue: Chad completed treatment, moved into sober living with plans to attend college and bought a new racing bike. A February 2009 re-airing stated that he relapsed briefly with alcohol, but has since regained sobriety and maintained it since September 2008; he is also competing in races and has joined the Amore & Vita professional cycling team. At the beginning of October 2009, the Sacramento Bee reported Gerlach was again living on the streets after leaving a rehab facility in September. However, according to a March 2010 follow-up episode, he is living part-time with his girlfriend, with whom he has a baby daughter, and has been sober since December 2009