Another tour leader falls
Bobby Julich pulls out of cycling World Championships
Posted: Thursday October 01, 1998 03:51 PM
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Julich finished third in this summer's Tour de France Alex Livesey/Allsport |
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- Top U.S. cyclist Bobby Julich said Thursday he was pulling out of next week's World Road Cycling Championships in the Netherlands.
Julich, who finished third in this summer's Tour de France, said he was not fit to race.
"I have just not been feeling so good lately so I have withdrawn myself from the selection of the team," he said in a conference call.
Julich's performance in the Tour de France was the best by an American since Greg LeMond won his third title in 1990. He finished behind winner Marco Pantani of Italy and defending champion Jan Ullrich of Germany.
"It is a long season and it is really hard for me to keep going and I don't want to go to the World Championships in anything less than 100 percent form," Julich said.
Julich, of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, said he was just looking forward to getting home.
"It has been a long season. I'm tired," he said.
It was not immediately clear who would replace Julich on the U.S. team.
The American is the latest in a long line of cyclists to skip the World Championships, which run Tuesday thru Sunday in Valkenburg.
Patani, Ullrich and Denmark's Bjarne Riis also have said they will not compete, meaning the last three winners of the Tour de France will not be racing. Frenchman Laurent Jalabert also will not race, after a dispute with cycling's governing body, the UCI.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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