Pro bikes: This 1998 fontest, Bobby Julich took Tour de France to third place

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This is the bike I walked for team Cofidis in the Tour de France in 1998. Over the years, I have opened similar bikes sold on the Internet, but in 1998, the bikes I used in every path of the road may be more than my backup bikes, because it was the only bike I feel comfortable.

Fondriest was a new bike company that often experienced with different materials and designs. We all had home training bikes, but when we showed in the competitions, it was often a completely different bike.

The team has the right to use a bicycle producer to test the new material, but the Tour de France is understandable to explain to a 26-year-old man who wanted to have the best bike.

I’m not a specialist in the framework design or engineering, but I knew I like it, and most importantly, I felt good. I’m still a solid believer, if you feel good, you are competing well!

I was not the most sensitive rider when it comes to bicycling or placing it, but I knew my own bike measurements and checked them double before the competitions. Mechanics did not love it very much, but I needed for my own peace.

After practicing with various framework designs and materials in almost a year, we provided this model with this model with this model and complained about the stiffness, comfort and responsibility of my teammates.

Some things that come to me about this bike:

• The steering wheel: I thought I always use 42 cm bar, but they are 44 cm. Guess Aerodynamics was not a reconcile at that time.
• Crank goal length: I always had 175 mm I had 177.5 mm cranks of 177.5mm on this bike!

• Profile Brc Carbon Forks: I think it was the first time I used carbon hooks.

• Speed ​​sensor: Seeing the sensor installed in my hook with zip gardens is just a reminder of how much we came with technology. The magnet in the foreground was perfectly sorted by this sensor and remembered that the driver pulled the side side of the road to adjust the frequent.
• Pedals: This time I loved the pedals and they were very popular in Peloton. I wish I could keep a pair of those awesome yellow time shoes!
• Campagnolo Shifters: I forgot how much I like to go down to more than one gear by sliding the thumb in a moment.

• The chain remains: it is quite unique as close to lower parentheses.

• Tires: Although the tires on this bike were Hutchinson, we used Michelin in competitions. I guess this is an old pair of training wheels.
• Crankset: We don’t remember why we use why we use special by Campagnolo, but the blue chains look great!

In 1998, memories of this bike brings a mixed bag for many reasons, but when I look at this bike, I reminds me of one of the most difficult and most epic days.

We all have the potential to influence the result of the air race, especially the COLD DU arrival, but now we did not think that the cold weather protocols were sitting on the starting line in Grenoble.

The race came out of a fast start and had a strong break when we reach the first climb of the day, the first climb of Croix de Fer. Although this is a dangerous movement, there was a teammate in the group and there was a long way to go, so I tried to stay warm and out of the wind.

Col du Télégraphe, who has many strongest attacks on the GC, began to be serious as we started to climb Colu Télégraphe, but due to the continuous driving, the race leader Jean Ullrich, the group was still quite large.

Colu Télégraphe and Colu Galibier have a very short landing between the beginning, so it feels like a long climb instead of two separately.

After starting to climb to Colu Galibier, which is more than 2600 m, I could not see anything in my life. This was before our racing radios, so I immediately wanted me to return my teammate and get my Gore-Tex rain jacket from the team car. He was able to do this very quickly, so I stuck in the back of my form to get ready for the landing.

In about half of the climb, the attacks came everywhere, especially the French Rider LeBlanc came from the politene of the team’s team. There was several kilometers away from several kilometers, which was a solid tempo to keep one of my teammates together when he climbed.

My teammate was a strong pace on the front of the group so that I asked to slow a little, that it was slightly lowered that we had a decision-making decision that we were a teammate.

At that moment, Marko Pantani was so accelerated that I thought he was joking with him because he went to his drops. After several pedal strokes, he stopped pedaling and looked at us with a smir on his face. I hope he hoped only to return to the group, but when he saw a cavity, he was repeated again and went inside the fog.

For the last 5km of Col Du Galibier, I often felt like we were walking as I walked, because we were all stuck in the road compared to Marco. Jean Ullrich was still a leader on the road, but I tried to help the PACE to keep the space as small as possible.

As we are close to top, I could think that I was burning my origin jacket to land. Instead of stopping on the side of the road, I decided to put the summit after the summit after the summit.

Wind, wet conditions and rain jacket, I couldn’t go the first switch on my left hand, I decided to go straight and pray when I could brake after I crashing on a parked RV on the side of the road. I was crashed, but the audience with the RV was very intimidated.

After returning my bike in the right direction, I decided to take this opportunity to put my rain jacket as I should see on the top. I could get it, but before he could zip him, his fans pushed me out of the way.

I struggled for a few more turns and finally became clogged, but it was so cold that it was so cold that my upper body was so cold that my upper body was trying to walk and get back to the group.

We turned to the right to the end climb of the day at the bottom of the decline. This is a liar with several tunnels that briefly protect us from the elements, but I could see that everyone in the group is stronger and worsened.

As we approach the lower slopes of the last climb until Les Deux Alpes, all drivers in front of me, the arm warm, rain jackets and helmets, as light as possible for the final climbing. I hesitated, because there was only one of the special Gore Tex’s Rain Jackets, but Laurent Jalabert did the same thing when I saw that I did it.

At that moment, this fans on the side of the road hit the jackpot!

Communication and time fragments were difficult due to weather conditions, but Pantini was reported to have a two-minute road. I played safely on stage, I ran away from the crash and went on the descent, so I went to GC as hard as I could limit the time as much as possible from Pantani.

I handed my helmet on motorcycle drivers and then attacked. I quickly found myself alone and settled in time to test mode towards the finish.

As I went to the finish, I felt like flying. Finally with each pedal stroke, I imagine taking a coveted yellow Jersey in Tour de France. Even with maximum efforts, I thought that the epischin of this stage was and how we would talk for years.

After passing the finish line, someone came into a RV to be hotter than my support staff. It was on television and Jean Ullrich’s yellow uniform was not an idea of ​​watching Marko Pantani, watching the finish in the finish in finish.

Later, several points showed the results of the scene and could not believe my eyes. Did they list me in the fifth place in 5’43 “5’43 behind Pantani? The gaps at the bottom of the last climb were correct, it reported that Pantani laid me in 10 km to Les Deux Alpes almost four minutes.

In the finish, when sitting in this RV, I will start a podium that awarded the yellow uniform in Tour de France, but then in reality.

I was not close.

For my next article, I will share the story of my Cervélo aluminum solist that helps to win Paris-Nice, Criteria International and Eneco tour in 2005.