BMC Racing Team is set to target the General Classification at the two upcoming UCI WorldTour races, which will see Richie Porte headline the Crit?rium du Dauphin? roster and Tejay van Garderen lead the Tour de Suisse team.
BMC Racing Team is lining up with multiple objectives at both races said Sports Directors Valerio Piva and Fabio Baldato.
“Of course you go into any race to win, but the main goal of the Crit?rium du Dauphin? is for Richie to really test his legs and see where his form is at, as it’s one of the biggest tests before the Tour de France. It’s a great opportunity to race together as a team, especially for the riders who will be there to support Richie and are hoping to be selected for the Tour de France roster,” Piva said.
“It’s great to have a rider like Tejay for the General Classification at the Tour de Suisse, where he’ll have some very strong support on the climbs with Darwin Atapuma and Samuel S?nchez. Riders like Philippe Gilbert and Silvan Dillier are well-suited to breakaways and stage wins, so we are looking forward to seeing what we can do there,” Baldato explained.
Porte is looking forward to returning to racing after illness forced him to withdraw from the Tour de Romandie.
“Since the Tour de Romandie I’ve put in some really good training blocks at home and with the team at training camp, so I’m ready to put that training to the test at the Crit?rium du Dauphin?. It’s always a tough race and knowing that it will be my last race before the Tour de France, I want to show what I can do.”
Lining up in Switzerland is always extra motivation, van Garderen said.
“With BMC Switzerland as our title sponsor, it’s always motivating when we race in Switzerland as we want to do Andy Rihs proud. It will be my third Tour de Suisse and a really good opportunity to test myself and after some solid training recently, I’ll be able to get those final race days in the legs before the Tour de France.”
Crit?rium du Dauphin? (5-12 June)
Rider roster: Brent Bookwalter (USA), Marcus Burghardt (GER), Damiano Caruso (ITA), Rohan Dennis (AUS), Ben Hermans (BEL), Ama?l Moinard (FRA), Richie Porte (AUS), Greg Van Avermaet (BEL).
Sports Directors: Valerio Piva (ITA), Yvon Ledanois (FRA)
Tour de Suisse (11-19 June)
Rider roster: Darwin Atapuma (COL), Silvan Dillier (SUI), Philippe Gilbert (BEL), Samuel S?nchez (ESP), Michael Sch?r (SUI), Dylan Teuns (BEL), Tejay van Garderen (USA), Danilo Wyss (SUI).
Sports Directors: Fabio Baldato (ITA), Max Sciandri (ITA)
