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Bobby Julich wasted little time upon joining Team Sky at the start of the 2011 season, putting his expertise to good use in getting the most out of the riders around him as a race coach.
Nowhere was the American’s influence more apparent than the meteoric rise of Chris Froome, the Brit taking the Vuelta by the scruff of the neck to claim second place overall in addition to an epic stage victory and stint in the red jersey.
It was the same race in 1996 where Julich shot to prominence with a top-10 finish in 1996. Well renowned for his time trialling abilities, the former Paris-Nice and Eneco Tour victor fits seamlessly into the team’s philosophy of finding marginal gains in the fine details.
With new arrival Richie Porte among the riders under Julich’s stewardship going forward, 2012 is set to be an exciting year.
He sasy: “I’ve really enjoyed my first year with the team Coming here hardly knowing anyone, I was welcomed into the team quickly and I think we work well together. I’m really pleased with the way things have gone.
“I don’t know how it happened, but it just seems like with the personalities that Dave [Brailsford] has put together here everyone is getting along really well. I think everyone is feeding off each other.
“Yes 2010 was a tough first season in some ways and it was a little bit unknown at the start of 2011, but you could already feel that something was different - and the boys confirmed it. The team confirmed it all year, and now we just hope to carry that momentum forward into 2012.
“I didn’t bring Chris to the team. They knew about his talent and they had to convince me about his talent. Then working with Chris he definitely convinced me pretty quickly. There was no magic sprinkle dust with getting him to ride better. It was basically working a little bit on his confidence and the way he rode the races because he has already training really well. You can sit back now and just shake your head and say ‘wow. I didn’t see that coming!’”
User comments (1)
Carol Nicholson says...
Hello from Reno, Nevada! Congratulations on your journey with Team Sky! Please call me when you get time. Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy 2011! Carol Nicholson
Posted 01:10 19th January 2011