Italian classics star aims to repeat 2007 victory, while team is granted special dispensation to race US event

alssandro ballanFormer World champion Alessandro Ballan will lead the BMC Racing Team in this Sunday’s Vattenfall Cyclassics in Hamburg, Germany, in a bid to repeat his 2007 victory in the race. The Italian, then riding for Lampre, took advantage of the disruption at the front of the peloton after a crash in the last 2km to accelerate away for the win.

Ballan came out of last month’s Tour de France strongly and finished fifth in the Tour of Poland, where he was defending champion.

“Alessandro is in really good shape coming out of Pologne and knows this race well,” said BMC Racing’s director sportif John Lelangue. “Normally it comes down to a sprint – but not a bunch sprint – because there is usually a selection in the little climbs before coming into Hamburg.”

Ballan will be supported in the race by Marcus Burghardt, BMC Racing’s one German rider, in his first race since the Tour de France. Riding on home soil, Burghardt will be looking to recapture the form that won him two stages of the Tour de Suisse back in June.

As well as the Vattefall Cyclassics, BMC Racing will be sending a squad of riders to the Tour of Utah, which starts on Tuesday. The team will not be sending the full compliment of eight riders, as it would normally not be allowed to ride the race under International Cycling Union (UCI) rules. The team has been granted special dispensation to race though, allowing 2008 winner and Utah resident Jeff Louder, as well as US champion George Hincapie to take part.

“We’re trying to support as much American racing as we possibly can,” said Michael Sayers, the team’s US director sportif. “We’re happy to be there and glad the governing bodies of the sport have given us the opportunity.”

BMC Racing Team for Vattenfall Cyclassics:
Alessandro Ballan, Marcus Burghardt, Martin Kohler, Alexander Kristoff, Mauro Santambrogio, Florian Stalder, Danilo Wyss and Simon Zahner

BMC Racing Team for Tour of Utah:
Chad Beyer, Brent Bookwalter, George Hincapie, Jeff Louder and Larry Warbasse