(Updating his condition) American cyclist Bobby Julich crashed near the beginning of the individual time trial for the Tour de France on Saturday, injuring his right wrist and leaving the course in an ambulance.
Riding as the team leader of Team CSC, the 34-year-old cyclist from Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Julich fell on his left side as he rounded a corner and skidded along the curb for several feet before stopping.
It appears his front wheel slipped out from under him. He sat on the curb for a few minutes, and was able to standup and walk to the ambulance.
The Bobby Julich website reports:
Julich had x-rays done at the hospital in Rennes on Saturday afternoon and team doctor Joost De Maeseneer commented:
“First off the x-rays show no fractures, but he has a big open wound on his right wrist. When they’ve cleaned it up properly, they’ll be able to examine it further during surgery here in Rennes. Bobby will be staying in hospital over night and later on a scan will show, whether he has any fractures.”
Julich was in 21st place as his time trial started at Saint Gregoire, just 45 seconds behind race leader Tom Boonen.
VeloNews reports that Julich crashed out in the individual time trial in Metz in 1999. Julich finished the Tour in 3rd place in 1998, the highest finish for an American except for Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong.
His career took a resurgence in 2005 as he won the week-long Paris-Nice bike race, and finished 1st overall in the Benelux Tour. He won the opening prologue at Paris-Nice again this year.
Julich was given the team leader's jersey — No. 11 — for CSC after Ivan Basso was removed from the Tour because he was named in the Operacion Puerto drug investigation.
Look for video of Julich's crash at OLN Video.
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