{"id":1320301,"date":"2020-06-01T23:16:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-02T05:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/vidakovich-column-dont-make-me-stop-this-bus\/"},"modified":"2020-06-01T23:16:00","modified_gmt":"2020-06-02T05:16:00","slug":"vidakovich-column-dont-make-me-stop-this-bus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/vidakovich-column-dont-make-me-stop-this-bus\/","title":{"rendered":"Vidakovich column: Don\u2019t make me stop this bus!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bobby Julich grew up in Glenwood Springs and is a 1990 graduate of Glenwood High School. Julich made quite a name for himself as a professional cyclist, teaming early on in his career with a guy named Lance Armstrong as Americans began to slowly make inroads into what was once a sport that was almost exclusively dominated by Europeans.<\/p>\n

In 1998, Julich would finish third in the prestigious Tour de France, which is widely regarded as cycling\u2019s most coveted prize. A silver medal awaited Julich in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, in the cycling time trial. The former Glenwood Demon, who now lives in Greenville, South Carolina, had ascended to the top of the cycling world and had etched his name with the greatest Americans the sport had ever produced.<\/p>\n

Since his graduation from GSHS three decades ago, I believe I have seen Julich on one other occasion here in town. With his cycling obligations and the extensive travel that goes with it, his trips to Glenwood were few and far between. I followed his cycling journey on television through the years, catching the nightly highlights of the Tour in his glory year of \u201998. I paid special attention whenever I heard an announcer mention that he was in a race to see if I could catch a glimpse of him. Anyone from Glenwood doing that well on the world stage deserved the support of friends and acquaintances back home at all times.<\/p>\n

Julich was on the television again this past Sunday night. He\u2019s long since retired from competitive racing, but an ESPN documentary on Lance Armstrong featured several clips of Julich commenting on his time spent with Armstrong and the ups and downs of the world of professional cycling. Though he is nearing 50 years old, Julich still has a youthful look and is much the same as I remember him through the years.<\/p>\n

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