COURCHEVAL, France -- By the time a cyclist advances to the Tour de France, he has likely ridden more miles than he can count. Still, nothing can prepare him for his maiden voyage in the sport's pinnacle event.
Now in his sixth season as a professional, Bobby Julich -- the wandering American who competes for Cofidis, a French team sponsored by a credit company -- is now getting his first opportunity at the top of the sport.
But with the 84th Tour de France now in its final week, Julich has positioned himself better than expected. He's not just experiencing the Tour de France, he's primed for a top-30 finish.
JULICH, 26, HAS HAD TWO STRAIGHT strong mountain finishes, including 18th in Sunday's tortuous climb to the 1992 Winter Olympics venue high in the Alps.
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| American cyclist Bobby Julich has the chance to be one of the top-30 finishers in the Tour de France. (Allsport) |
Julich finished the stage more than 12 minutes behind race leader Jan Ullrich. But his effort was particularly impressive considering the unusual nature of his professional career. He's now 25th overall, trailing the Danish leader by more than 56 minutes.
"I'm just here to be a sponge, to absorb everything I can about the experience," said Julich, who leads six U.S. cyclists competing for two different teams. "I mean, I've learned something every day. That's what is going to benefit me in the future. I didn't come here to win the Tour de France this year. But I don't think I'll be as intimidated or apprehensive next year as I was coming here this year."
Julich's participation is no less complicated than the winding, hilly climbs through the snow-covered mountains.
THREE YEARS AGO, THE COLORADO NATIVE was set to ride for a European team, but it folded. He then opted to ride independently for a year, a monumental task considering the team concept of the sport. Julich then was signed by U.S-based Motorola and rode for the team for two seasons. When that sponsorship evaporated at the end of last season, he was again without a ride.
But Lance Armstrong, Motorola's team leader, signed a contract with Cofidis. Although he is recovering from cancer and has not raced this season, the former world road champion brought Julich and compatriots Kevin Livingston and Frankie Andreu with him from Motorola.
"There's no race that I've ever done that's close to this race," said Julich. "And I thought about it, even on the first day. I said to myself, 'Why can't I even move into the top 50, let alone avoid the crashes?'
"And then it dawned on me: This is the first race I've ever done when 100 percent of the riders are racing at their maximum and at their peak performance."
JULICH'S TALENTS AS AN OVERALL stage-race performer first blossomed in the Tour DuPont, the biggest American stage race. He was the top amateur one year and finished in the top 10 on two more occasions in the now-defunct event. Although he isn't superior in any one discipline -- sprinting, climbing or time trialing --he has no weaknesses either.
At the end of last season, Julich had his most impressive pro outing when he finished ninth overall in the Tour of Spain.
"In the Tour of Spain, you had guys who were tired, who had already done the Tour de France. You had guys who had already signed contracts for this season, and they were saying, 'Hey, we're just here to be here and to please sponsors.' So only 30, 40, 50 percent of the guys were racing.
"I went in there and I could do pretty well and finished ninth overall. But just to be here, to experience it, to finish it, to absorb it -- that's what I needed to do this year."
LIKE MANY PROFESSIONAL CYCLISTS, Julich also has a difficult time living in one place. In Europe, where he spends the racing season, Julich shares an apartment with another cyclist in Nice. But he also has relocated to the U.S. several times in recent years. He has lived in Santa Rosa and Sacramento, Calif., and is about to move to Philadelphia, where his girlfriend has been offered a teaching job.
"I have a tiered goal, depending upon how I felt," said Julich. "Knowing that in this sport there are no miracles, you either have the legs or you don't. There's no such thing as that little sprinkle of magic stuff for your legs.
"I kind of knew I would have a difficult time going for the overall, but stranger things have happened. My first goal was to finish, my second goal was to win a stage and my third goal was to finish in the top 20 overall."
With seven days remaining, none of Julich's goals have yet materialized. But with much of the race's serious climbs behind him, Julich is likely to finish, perhaps as the top American.
And whether he achieves either of his other two goals doesn't really matter. Julich has been one of the surprises of the Tour de France, and when teams begin vying for his services next year, it's likely his past misfortunes will have been long forgotten.
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