The BMC Racing Team formally announced its roster for the 2015 season while also revealing that Rohan Dennis will make an attempt at the world hour record in February.
Eight Riders New To The Team
Runner-up in the 2014 WorldTour standings and winners of the UCI world team time trial championship, the BMC Racing Team won a team-record 30 races for the second straight season. Headlining the list of returning riders is 2009 world road champion and 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans, who has announced he will retire Feb. 1 to work for the team’s title sponsor, BMC Switzerland. Also back are all six members of the team’s gold medal-winning team time trial squad: Dennis, Silvan Dillier, Daniel Oss, Manuel Quinziato, Tejay van Garderen and Peter Velits. Joining them is 2012 world road champion Philippe Gilbert, who won a team-best seven races last year, GP de Wallonie winner Greg Van Avermaet, and a pair of reigning national time trial champions, Taylor Phinney (United States) and Velits (Slovakia). Eight riders are new to the team, including Under 23 world time trial champion Campbell Flakemore of Australia. Evans headlines the team’s line-up for the season-opening WorldTour event, the Santos Tour Down Under, Jan. 17-25. Joining him will be Dennis, Dillier, Flakemore, past Swiss national road champion Michael Schär, Peter Stetina and Danilo Wyss.
Goals Include Classics Win
BMC Racing Team President/General Manager Jim Ochowicz said the team’s objectives for 2015 begin with carrying momentum over from successes this season, which included the team’s first classics win by Gilbert at Amstel Gold Race. “We want to go back to the classics and bring home another victory – and possibly a second,” Ochowicz said. “We also have grand tour ambitions with Tejay van Garderen. We would like to elevate him to another level at the Tour de France and get him on the podium in 2015. Our third priority is with our younger riders. We want to continue to develop those guys by giving them experience, confidence and opportunities to grow their careers. The future of our organization lies with that group.” BMC Racing Team Sporting Manager Allan Peiper said 2015 will be a year of transition. “We lose some of our GC (general classification) riders with Cadel Evans and Samuel Sánchez, but we bring on a whole new fleet of young riders who give us a great cross-section of different abilities,” Peiper said. “Campbell Flakemore and Stefan Küng are really good time trialists, Manuel Senni is a great climber and Dylan Teuns can ride the Ardennes classics. So we have a good spread of riders, not to replace the GC riders we are missing, but they are our new generation. We go into 2015 with a lot of positive energy and a younger crew on board.”
Record Attempt At Velodrome Suisse
On Feb. 8 at the Velodrome Suisse in Grenchen, Switzerland, Dennis will try to better the current hour record of 51.852 kilometers by Matthias Brändle. An Olympic silver medalist for Australia in the team pursuit in London in 2012, Dennis said he is a bit nervous, but very much up to the challenge. “When I look at my experience on the track and the numbers I have been doing on the track and on the road, it is within reach,” he said. “As long as I don’t get too excited at the start and control my nerves, the pacing will take care of itself.” Peiper said planning for the attempt began shortly after Dennis helped win the world team time trial. “We have been working on it, taking all the circumstances into consideration,” he said. “This is something Rohan really wants to do. Part of our development for him is to support him in the things he wants to achieve. So that is the main reason we are doing it.”
2015 BMC Racing Team Rider Roster:
Darwin Atapuma (COL), Brent Bookwalter (USA), Marcus Burghardt (GER), Damiano Caruso (ITA), Alessandro De Marchi (ITA), Rohan Dennis (AUS), Silvan Dillier (SUI), Jempy Drucker (LUX), Cadel Evans (AUS), Campbell Flakemore (AUS), Philippe Gilbert (BEL), Ben Hermans (BEL), Stefan Küng (SUI), Klaas Lodewyck (BEL), Amaël Moinard (FRA), Daniel Oss (ITA), Taylor Phinney (USA), Manuel Quinziato (ITA), Joey Rosskopf (USA), Michael Schär (SUI), Manuel Senni (ITA), Peter Stetina (USA), Dylan Teuns (BEL), Greg Van Avermaet (BEL), Tejay van Garderen (USA), Peter Velits (SVK), Danilo Wyss (SUI), Rick Zabel (GER).
President/General Manager:
Jim Ochowicz (USA)
Sporting Manager:
Allan Peiper (AUS)
Co-Owner:
Andy Rihs (SUI)
Sport Directors:
Fabio Baldato (ITA), Yvon Ledanois (FRA), Valerio Piva (ITA), Max Sciandri (ITA), Jackson Stewart (USA), Geert Van Bondt (BEL).
Sports Science Division:
David Bailey (GBR), Dario Broccardo (ITA), Judith Haudum (AUT), Marco Pinotti (ITA), Dr. Max Testa (ITA).
Photo © Christy Nicholson / EchelonDesignPhoto.com
