Bobby Julich facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bobby Julich

Personal information
Full name	Robert Julich
Nickname	Bobby J
Born	(1971-11-18) November 18, 1971 (age 53) Corpus Christi, Texas, United States of America
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Weight	72 kg (159 lb; 11 st 5 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Time-trialist/Climber
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 1 TTT stage (2001) Giro d'Italia 1 TTT stage (2006) Stage races Paris–Nice (2005) Eneco Tour (2005) Critérium International (1998, 2005)

Robert "Bobby" Julich (born November 18, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racer. He was known as a strong time trialist. Bobby Julich achieved international fame when he finished third in the 1998 Tour de France. He was only the second American to reach the podium in this famous race.

He won a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in the individual time trial. Bobby also won several important stage races. These included Paris–Nice and the Eneco Tour in 2005. He retired from professional cycling in September 2008. After retiring, he worked as a coach for several cycling teams. He left Team Sky in 2012 after admitting to using banned substances in the past.

Bobby Julich's Cycling Journey

Early Life and First Races

Bobby Julich was born in Texas. He grew up in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. He started cycling at a young age. In 1985, he won the Red Zinger Mini Classics. This was a youth bicycle race.

As a young amateur cyclist, Bobby won the 1990 Junior National Cyclo-cross Championship. He was part of the US National Team. In 1991, he raced in the Tour DuPont. This was the biggest stage race in the United States at the time. Bobby finished fifth overall. He also won the Best Young Rider award. Many people thought he would be the next Greg LeMond, a famous American cyclist.

Becoming a Professional Rider

After a few tries, Bobby joined the Motorola team in 1995. He rode alongside other well-known cyclists. In 1996, Bobby was diagnosed with a heart condition. It made his heart beat much faster than normal. He received treatment and was able to race again.

Later that year, he showed his talent in the 1996 Vuelta a España. He held the "King of the Mountains" jersey for ten stages. He finished ninth overall in the race. This was the highest an American had placed in the Vuelta at that time. His performance caught the attention of other teams.

Breakthrough at the Tour de France

When Motorola stopped sponsoring the team, Bobby joined the French Cofidis team in 1997. He rode well in the 1997 Tour de France. He got stronger as the race went on. He finished 17th overall.

The 1998 Tour de France was a big moment for Bobby. He became the team leader. Despite a difficult race where many riders did not finish, Bobby placed third overall. He stood on the podium with the winner and runner-up. People again called him the "next American Tour de France champion." In the 1999 Tour de France, he was a favorite to win. However, a crash forced him to leave the race.

New Teams and a Comeback

In 2000, Bobby moved to another French team, Credit Agricole. He was part of the team that won a team time trial stage in the 2001 Tour de France. In 2002, he joined Team Telekom in Germany. He mostly rode as a "domestique," helping his team captain. He did not have many big wins during this time. By the end of 2003, he thought about retiring.

In 2004, Bobby joined the Danish team, Team CSC. He started to perform much better. He won a time trial in the Tour of the Basque Country. This was his first win since 1998. He also won the two-man time trial, LuK Challenge, with his teammate Jens Voigt.

Olympic Medal and Best Season

Bobby Julich won a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. This was in the men's individual time trial event. His great performance continued into 2005. This was his best professional season. He became the first American to win Paris–Nice. He also won the Critérium International and the Eneco Tour. These wins helped Team CSC become the highest-ranked team in 2005.

In 2006, Bobby helped his team captain, Ivan Basso, win the 2006 Giro d'Italia. Bobby also won the prologue of Paris–Nice that year. In the 2006 Tour de France, he had to leave the race. He crashed during a time trial and injured his wrist.

In 2011, the original gold medalist from the 2004 Olympics admitted to using banned substances. Because of this, Bobby Julich was upgraded from a bronze to a silver medal on August 10, 2012.

After Retirement

After retiring from racing, Bobby Julich became a coach. He worked for Team Sky starting in 2011. In October 2012, Team Sky announced that Bobby would leave the team. This was because he admitted to using banned substances earlier in his career. Team Sky had a policy that all staff had to confirm they had not used banned substances.

After leaving Team Sky, Bobby worked as a consultant for BMC Racing Team in 2013. In 2014, he became the head coach for Team Tinkoff–Saxo. He left that team in 2015.

Major Achievements

Grand Tour Results

Grand Tour	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Giro d'Italia	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	92
Tour de France	—	17	3	DNF	48	18	37	—	40	17	DNF
/ Vuelta a España	9	—	—	DNF	—	—	—	95	—	—	—

See also

In Spanish: Bobby Julich para niños