Last year's Tour de France champion Cadel Evans will take part in this week's Trofeo Palma de Mallorca to kick off the new season. The four-day event includes one-day races, and Evans will compete in two of them.
Evans explained that as last year was a very successful season, his preparation approach for this year won't change much.
“My warm-up for this season won't be too different,” said Evans. “Of course, I'm always looking for ways to improve. But my career has been going for 16 years now, so there may not be as much room for improvement. That said, if there's any way to improve the overall performance of the team, we'll definitely give it our all.”
Evans finally achieved his long-held dream last July by winning the Tour de France, defeating the Schleck brothers Frank and Andy. This season, if Alberto Contador of Saxo Bank can get back in form, he will also be one of Evans's strong rivals.
To support their top rider, the BMC Racing Team has also recruited several top-notch riders, most notably Philippe Gilbert, the triple winner of the Spring Classics, and the versatile "Thor" Thor Hushovd.
Gilbert had an amazing performance in 2011, and this year he aims even higher, hoping to win the rainbow jersey at the World Championships. Gilbert will also compete in this Sunday's Tour of Qatar.
“I like the Tour of Qatar. It’s a race initiated by cycling legend Eddy Merckx, so the organization is naturally very solid,” Gilbert said. “Racing in Qatar helps me get used to strong winds and also build rapport with my new teammates.”
BMC Racing Team's sports director John Lelangue said the five-stage Tour of Qatar will show everyone how strong BMC's riders are. “I know many riders on the team can perform well in Qatar,” Lelangue said. “We have several strong sprinters, like Adam Blythe, Thor Hushovd, and Taylor Phinney, who are all reliable options for the final sprints.”
