When Euskaltel-Euskadi were disbanded at the end of last season, BMC made a very shrewd move in signing Olympic gold medallist Samuel Sanchez. At age 36 he won’t be a long-term fixture in the team but he may be just what the doctor ordered.
From the Asturias region in Spain, Sanchez is a climber of precocious talent, capable of blowing his opposition off his wheel.
He’s won stages at the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, finishing second overall at the Vuelta in 2009 and third overall at Le Tour in 2010, as well as a King of the Mountains jersey at Le Tour in 2011.
Sanchez appears to be the rider who can add some serious firepower to Cadel Evans’ team for his tilt at the Giro d’Italia later this year.
Through Cadel’s career he has had to do a lot of the mountain climbing on his own, with his teammates unable to stay with him.
Having Sanchez at his disposal gives Cadel a rider who can chase attacks in the mountains as well as stay by his side as the gradient gets steeper.
As the Giro wore in 2013, Cadel was unable to stay with Vincenzo Nibali, the Italian managing to shake the Aussie off his tail a number of times.
However, the Giro wasn’t Cadel’s major focus in 2013. Now in 2014, it is the race Cadel wants to win.
As many general classification riders can attest to, having a strong climber in your team is important to assist in the mountains and lessen your own workload.
An added package with Sanchez is his time trialing ability. Should Evans come to grief, BMC could turn to Sanchez as the team leader.
Despite Sanchez having a strong concentration on the one-day classics at Euskaltel, he has said he’ll be there to support Evans in May.
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