Former Olympic Hopeful Bobby Julich Details Early Career Struggles & Unexpected Turns
Boulder, CO – Cycling veteran Bobby Julich recounts a turbulent start to his professional career in a newly released excerpt, detailing early successes, Olympic disappointment, and the precarious financial realities facing young riders in the early 1990s. The piece offers a candid look at the challenges of transitioning from a promising amateur to the demanding world of professional cycling.Julich’s journey began with strong performances after the snow melted, including success in Argentina and the Tour of Texas while riding for the USA National Team. This led to a coveted invitation to the 1990 Tour de Trump, where the then 18-year-old racer found himself competing against established legends like Sean Kelly, Raul Alcala, Day Otto Lauritzen, Steve Bauer, and Viatcheslav Ekimov. He describes these experiences as early “stagiaire” opportunities – essentially trial periods with professional teams.
Further success followed in 1991 and 1992 with top-10 overall finishes in the Tour DuPont,attracting interest from professional teams. However, these aspirations were temporarily sidelined by the looming Barcelona Olympics. Maintaining amateur status was crucial for Olympic eligibility, but Julich’s Olympic trials ended in disappointment after a crash and being outperformed by competitors.He recalls the emotional toll of not making the team, and the subsequent loss of interest from European squads.
A break came with a stagiaire possibility with Spago/Rossin, managed by Mike Neel, allowing julich to race in Italy during August. He competed in races including the Cup agostoni, Bernocchi Cup, Three Varesine Valleys, and the Giro del Veneto. Julich admits to feeling overwhelmed by the intensity and unwritten rules of the European peloton, hampered by his lack of Italian language skills.
Despite not achieving meaningful results during his three-week trial, Julich was offered a one-year professional contract for the following season. Though, his hopes were dashed when Spago/Rossin folded in February due to financial difficulties, leaving him teamless.”At that moment, I thought my career was back on track…,” Julich writes, “But that is another story…” The excerpt concludes with a promise of further details to come, hinting at continued challenges and unexpected turns in his career.