Black and red team relying on Ballan and Van Avermaet for breakaways and Taylor Phinney in the sprint
The BMC Racing Team is sending a team to Paris-Tours this coming Sunday, which it hopes will be successful however the race progresses. Despite being known as the “Sprinters’ Classic”, the 230.5km race is just as likely to be taken by breakaway riders, with Omega Pharma-Lotto’s Classics king Philippe Gilbert – who will join BMC Racing at the end of the year – taking the 2008 and 2009 editions.
Whether the race goes to a breakaway, or comes down to a sprint, BMC sports director John Lelangue feels that he has the right team for the job.
“We’ll be attentive in the first part with the side winds and echelons,” he explained. “In the second part, we know we have Alessandro Ballan and Greg Van Avermaet, who can go for it and maybe resist the peloton to the end.
“But if it comes to a sprint, we can play it for Taylor Phinney.”
Van Avermaet has finished in the top-twenty of the race in the two previous editions, and the Belgian knows that the riders – like him – who performed will in the recent Binche-Tournai-Binche, as well as those who excelled in the Circuit Franco-Belge, will also be on form for Paris-Tours. With the final climb coming with just seven kilometres remaining, as well as the Avenue de Grammont finishing straight shortened from 2.4km to 660 metres, he knows that he has a chance.
“The short, steep climbs suit me well in the end and we have a really strong team,” said the Belgian. “The finish is also a bit closer after the climbs this year, which is better for the attacks. If you have a gap on the top, you can make it to the end.”
BMC Racing Team for Paris-Tours:
Alessandro Ballan, Marcus Burghardt, Martin Kohler, Steve Morabito, Taylor Phinney, Mauro Santambrogio, Michael Schär and Greg Van Avermaet.