American rider will target Montepaschi Strade Bianche
It’s been a long period without racing for 2009 world road race champion Cadel Evans, who has taken a very different approach to his season than he did last year. That wait will end on Thursday when the Australian rider lines out in the Italian Giro del Friuli.
Just over thirteen months ago, he competed in the Santos Tour Down Under and was immediately competitive. He went on to win Flèche Wallonne, took a stage in the Giro and performed strongly overall. One year on, he said that he is still building form and that he expects that it will take him some time to fully click.
“There are a lot of riders who are far ahead of me in terms of physical condition,” he said today. “This is the latest start to a season I have had since 2004. It will be an adjustment for me, as well as those who are used to seeing me in front early in the season. People seem to forget how long and hard the cycling season is.”
Now 34 years of age, Evans is mindful of the fact that he is running out of chances to win the Tour de France. Last year saw him put a lot of effort into the Giro, at the risk of being below-par in the Tour. He went on to take the Maillot Jaune in the French event, yet lost a considerable amount of time due to a big crash in the mountains.
The Giro del Friuli is the first step on what he hopes is the road to Tour de France success. He will be joined by another former world road race champion, the Italian Alessandro Ballan, as well as Chad Beyer, Mathias Frank, Martin Kohler, Jeff Louder, Tim Roe and Mauro Santambrogio.
Meanwhile another of the BMC Racing Team’s top riders, George Hincapie, is also counting down the days until he starts competing in what is his 18th pro season. He’s still dreaming of the goal of winning Paris-Roubaix, and reports that he is in fine shape this year. He’s left nothing to chance, digging in very deeply of late in a bid to simulate race conditions, and will get to test that form in the Montepaschi Strade Bianche on Saturday.
“I’ve been at home (in Greenville, South Carolina) motorpacing four or five days a week, trying to train as hard as possible,” he said. “I’ve had good weather, daily massages and am eating well. I feel strong – definitely a lot better than I did at this time last year.”
Evans, Ballan, Frank, Kohler and Santambrogio will double up and do that race too, while Michael Schär and Greg Van Avermaet will also take part.
The BMC Racing Team has stepped up to UCI ProTeam level this season and will consequently ride the sport’s top races, including the three Grand Tours.