Serbian native Radisa Cubric joins team as second director to Thomas Craven
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Bobby Julich(Image credit: Team Sky)
Team Director Thomas Craven ready to give support to the team on each training ride.(Image credit: Hincapie Racing Team)
The Holowesko team begins to chase(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The Holowesko team leads the field up the climb(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Bobby Julich won Criterium International in 2005 ahead of Thomas Dekker and Jorg Jaksche.(Image credit: Getty Images)
Bobby Julich has joined Holowesko-Citadel as the performance director as the US team awaits word on its application to jump to the Pro Continental ranks next year. The team also announced today that Radisa Cubric will join the program as second director to Thomas Craven.
Julich, an American who finished third overall in the 1998 Tour de France while riding for Cofidis, has worked with the team in the past on a temporary basis. Following his own professional career, which ended in 2008, Julich worked with Saxo Bank, Team Sky, BMC Racing and Tinkoff, in succession. Julich parted ways with Tinkoff at the end of the 2015 season.
"I am extremely happy and excited to be joining the team," Julich said in a statement released by the team. "I have known [team owners] Rich and George [Hincapie] since we were juniors, and as fate would have it, here we are working together on this project 30-plus years later. I've had the honor of working with many top-level cycling teams and coaching many of the world's top riders, and I look forward to using my experience to help take this team to the next level."
Julich and Craven rode on the same team during their professional careers in the 1990s on Chevrolet/LA Sheriff.
Cubric, a native of Serbia, also rode against Craven, Julich, and the Hincapies in his youth while on several different American teams. He competed in the Summer Olympics in 1992 and went on to direct several pro teams after retirement. He was most recently the head coach and team manager for the Serbian national team.
"We're really looking forward to the 2018 season," George Hincapie said. "We have the right leadership in place, solid sponsorship partners, and some really good guys on the team. I can't wait to see it all come together. It's my aim that we continue to grow year after year, eventually getting to World Tour. This is the first step toward that goal."
The team, which is in its sixth year in 2017, started as Hincapie Sportswear before Holowesko and Citadel assumed title sponsorship last year. Funding for the jump to the next level was covered in part by the addition of presenting sponsor Arapahoe Resources, an Oklahoma City-based oil and gas exploration company mainly concentrated in the Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain regions, according to the team.
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The company supported its own cycling team, Team Arapahoe Resources, from 2015 through 2017. Owner Paul E. Kloberdanz, Jr., always hoped to one day see the cyclists ride in the Tour de France. George Hincapie shared the same vision for his own team.
"Over the years, I've witnessed the progression and success of our team riders, as well as the success and true grit of Holowesko-Citadel," Kloberdanz said. "It was obvious to me that joining with Holowesko-Citadel was the next step."
Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.
