Bobby Julich eager to get to work at Sky
American cycling coach Bobby Julich has said he is excited to start working with British outfit Sky, where he will work towards fulfilling more realistic goals than the ones the team set out for 2010.
Sky, formed by Dave Brailsford in December 2009, have plans to introduce a new management structure to the team. It will see the team's five directeurs sportif hand over their work directly with the roster to a newly appointed quartet of
coaches.
"Our goal is to take care of the riders so that the directeurs sportif can do what they need to do at the races," Julich, who retired as a rider in 2008, told
Cyclingnews. "It’s a totally new system. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m really excited."
During his professional career, Julich came third in the 1998 edition of the Tour de France, but failed to meet expectations in 1999.
"That’s why I think I’ll fit perfectly because I have the skills and experience to help all the riders, but especially someone like Bradley Wiggins. I went through much the same situation as him back in 1998." Sky rider Wiggins finished
fourth in the Tour in 2009, only to finish 24th in his first season racing for Sky.
Brailsford and directeur sportif Sean Yates have prevously admitted that Sky made a mistake in placing all their emphasis on Wiggins' bid at the Tour during 2010.
Julich, who said he would work with more realistic goals at the team, believed Sky would prioritize more broadly during his first season at the team.
"In the world of cut-throat competitive sports, sometimes the fun part is left out and I think that Sky has admitted that they got a little bit ahead of themselves with setting the goals so high and the philosophy of one rider, one race."
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