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Cadel Evans admits he’s taking a risk by switching to ride for ambitious, but relatively unproven, American outfit BMC Racing Team. But it’s a gamble he’s happy to take as he pursues his dream of winning the Tour de France.
The 32-year-old surprised the cycling world with his decision to end his five-year stint with Belgium-based Silence-Lotto for a team which has yet to earn a Tour de France start in 2010.
BMC Racing Team has signed some high class riders – including Evans’ predecessor as road race world champion Alessandro Ballan of Italy and American George Hincapie, a key lieutenant in all of Lance Armstrong’s seven Tour de France victories – as it gears for a big push next year.
But as a second-tier Continental Pro team, it must prove to tour organisers it’s worthy of a wild card entry next July.
“It’s a risk, I’m aware of it but it’s a risk that I’m willing to take,” said 2007 and 2008 Tour de France runner-up Evans on Monday.
“Now it’s up to us as a team, all of us together, to prove that we’re not worth leaving behind.
“Sometimes you have to take a few risks in life.”
Evans said his choice of team was as much for its philosophy on racing and approach to the sport as the quality of its riders and their ability to help him in the grand tours.
Negotiations began several weeks ago with the Australian forced to buy himself out of the final year of his Silence-Lotto deal to sign for three years with BMC.
“BMC is a small team but it’s growing, it has very good people behind it, a very good organisation,” Evans said.
“The mentality and philosophy suit my mentality and philosophy.
“And of course we have a common goal and that is to improve on my best place at the Tour de France which is second.
“We have a few years to work towards that. It’s just a really nice fit.”
BMC, a Switzerland-based bike manufacturer, has thrown its full support behind the 32-year-old Evans who finished a distant 30th in this year’s Tour de France, a performance which appeared to bring differences with his team to the surface.
He bounced back to become the first Australian to win the world road race championship in Switzerland last month and has been allowed to plan his own race schedule which will include the French classic and possibly the Tour of Italy, where the team has already been guaranteed a start.
The Tour Down Under in South Australia in January is also a possibility although that will depend on an invitation from race organisers and the attitude of world cycling officials because of BMC’s non Pro Tour status.
But “Big George” Hincapie wants to contest the race and Evans said he expected to talk with Tour Down Under race director Mike Turtur while in Adelaide.
As well as Hincapie and Ballan, BMC has also signed established stars in Tour de France stage winners Marcus Burghardt and Karsten Kroon and Evans hinted at further strong additions to the roster in the near future.
He was confident the final team would have the ability to support him in the high mountains of the grand tours, something his former team could not do.
Evans was clearly unhappy with his Silence-Lotto masters at times but resisted the opportunity to criticise them on Monday, preferring to look to the future.
“I needed a new environment, a change, a change of the people I worked with,” was about as far as he would go.
His switch to BMC will bring him together with co-owner Jim Ochowicz who, as a former director for Motorola in the 1990s, helped guide the early career of a young Armstrong as well as the final years of Australian great Phil Anderson.
Ochowicz said Evans would bring a wealth of experience to the team.
“Cadel Evans compliments the current team roster that consists of seasoned professional and emerging talents,” he said.
Team manager John Lelangue said BMC planned to race among the elite in Europe.
“We have a plan to go to the biggest races, including the grand tours. That includes the Tour de France,” he said.
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