by Rich Carlson Winning Magazine, December 1991

Bobby Julich hopes to one day successfully compete in Europe’s legendary stage races.

This year’s Tour DuPont was a U.S. cycling enthusiast’s dream. Some of the sport’s greatest stars — Greg LeMond, Erik Breukink, Phil Anderson, Ronan Pensec, etc. — were on hand for its 11-day East Coast odyssey, and the event’s festive atmosphere and professional aura turned into a fantastic showcase for the sport of cycling.

The race was also a terrific showcase for young Bobby Julich. The 19-year-old Colorado rider arrived for the prologue as a little-known member of the U.S. National Team, but it was not long before he was showing that he could ride with the pros.Julich finished sixth in the prologue and then went on to match the stars pedal stroke for pedal stroke over the Tour DuPont’s 1,100-mile route. In the end he placed 5th overall, ahead of such legends as Bauer, Pensec and LeMond.

“I first met Bobby two years ago,” recalls National Coach Chris Carmichael. “I could see right away that he had the desire to dedicate himself to cycling. Right now he and Lance Armstrong are two of America’s finest young prospects fot the future.”

Just under six feet tall, the slim 152-pound Julich has a stage racer’s build, and his DuPont results confirm that multi-day races are indeed his forte. According to Carmichael, Julich’s stage-racing ability also stems from his mental approach. “He’s smart tactically,” Carmichael notes. “He’s good at evaluating his position in a particular stage, and he knows just how much energy to put out. He’s learned that in most races there are only a couple of stages that really shake up the g.c.”

Julich, who just turned 20, says he will remain an amateur at least through the 1992 Olympics and then consider turning pro. Winning talked with the budding young star and asked him about his career and his plans for the future.

Early success

Winning How did you get started in cycling?Julich I didn’t really get interested in cycling until 1984 when my father started doing triathlons. I did my first race, the Red Zinger Mini-Classic, in 1985. I was 13 and I won my category. That made me realize that I might have some talent for cycling.

Winning What happened next?

Julich The next year 1986, I went to a Davis Phinney-Connie Carpenter cycling camp. By now I was getting excited about cycling. I won the 1987 junior 14-15 road nationals, and later that season I got picked up by the 7-Eleven Jolly Rancher junio team that was coached by Dale Stetina. That was like a dream — I’d always wanted to race for 7-Eleven. The Jolly Rancher team folded in 1988, but I got picked up by the 7-Eleven/Huffy team that was based in Wisconsin. I had gained a lot of success that year.

Winning You won the Tour de l’Abitibi junior stage race, didn’t you?

Julich Yes, twice. In 1988 I won it with the junior national team. I also won in 1989 when I was with Team USA, but that was one of the few bright spots that year. Team USA turned out to be a lot of headaches; I’ve always regretted leaving 7-Eleven.

Gaining experience

Winning You rode with the national team in the 1990 Tour de Trump. How did that come about?

Julich A spot opened up on the squad and so I filled in. There were some coaches who thought I was too young to be doing a long race like that, but I’d done well in Argentina earlier in the year, and had placed sixth in the Tour of Texas. so I felt I could handle it. I had a couple of bad days but I finished 28th overall and felt that it was a good experience.

Winning You were very impressive at this year’s Tour DuPont. Did you think before the race that you were capable of doing so well?

Julich I didn’t know how well I’d do. We’d just gotten back from Italy where Lance [Armstrong] had won the Settimana Bergamasca and I’d done well in the Regioni. I felt fit, but sometimes you can’t be sure about your conditioning. After I finished sixth in the prologue, though, I knew my form was excellent. That’s when I decided it was time to get down to business.

Winning Was it intimidating to be riding alongside some of the biggest stars in cycling?

Julich Before the race started I wanted to go up and ask some guys for their autographs! Of course, I knew I couldn’t do that. So I just tried to act mature. At first I was getting pushed out of the echelons and jerked around in the sprints and getting bumped off wheels. But instead of thinking, “gosh, it’s Erik Breukink — OK, go ahead, take the wheel,” I decided I wouldn’t be intimidated. It was a matter of realizing that, yea, I was wearing a U.S. National Amateur Team jersey and wasn’t as well known as most other riders but that I was out there racing, too, and had the same rights as anybody. I will say, though, that the fact that we were racing in America probably meant that the Europeans went a little easier on us. It might have been a little bit rougher if we’d been racing in Italy, or another European country.

Coaching help

Winning Has National Coach Chris Carmichael helped you?

Julich He really has. He’s got so much experience — he’s been a pro and has raced in Europe and done big events like the Tour de France, and he really understands what’s going on. I sometimes wonder if he’s psychic. We’ll have meetings before races, and he’ll tell us what will happen. Then, two or three hours later in the race, it does! You find yourself saying, “How did he know that?” He’s taught me that in stage racing it’s important to know when you have to be going well — that if you have problems or get dropped at certain times it doesn’t necessarily mean disaster. And he’s very organized, which helps team morale. We have programs and schedules to follow, so there’s less confusion and our time is spent more efficiently.

Winning How would you characterize yourself as a rider? What are your strengths, your weaknesses?

Julich I’m definitely a stage racer. All of my best races, from the Mini Red Zinger to the Tour DuPont have been stage races. I’m best when I race day after day. I have good recovery powers. I’ve worked on my climbing and my time trialing, and I think I’ve made some big steps in those areas. My real weakness is sprinting.

Winning What are your goals in cycling?

Julich I want to do well in the Tour DuPont next year. The Olympics are very important, too. I hope to do the team time trial and the road race.

Looking ahead

Winning Will you turn pro after the Olympics?

Julich If I’m ready. I’d like to sign with a U.S.-based team that races in Europe. My dream has always been to race on a U.S. team with guys like LeMond and Hampsten.

Winning If that doesn’t happen would you prefer to ride as a neo-pro with a European team or race on a domestic pro squad?

Julich I don’t see myself racing in the U.S. because there aren’t many stage races here. I wouldn’t mind being on a European team as long as I had the opportunity to grow. I don’t want to ride as a dead-end domestique.

Winning Do you think you could adapt to racing in Europe?

Julich I do. I’ve raced in Europe a lot already, and I’ve never had problems adjusting. The accommodations usually aren’t as good, and the food is different, but those are things you just learn to adapt to.

Winning Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Julich If all goes well, I’d like to be racing in Europe and doing races like Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico two or three years from now. Then maybe four years from now do the Giro or the Tour of Spain. And then maybe the year after that the Tour de France. But I don’t want to pursue a pro career if I can’t get any better. I wouldn’t enjoy racing then, and cycling’s too hard a sport if you’re not enjoying it.