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BMC ready for Dauphiné challenge

Published: Jun. 6, 2009

BMC lines up Sunday for the 61st Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in what will arguably be the team's most important stage race since its inception.

A seven-man squad begins the grueling eight-day stage across the French Alps with high hopes of putting a man in the top-10 overall and making a strong impression against the top ProTour squads.

“The expectations we have are the same for every race we start, whether it’s the Dauphiné or the Tour of Belgium or Romandie; we want to be competitive and someone in the top 10,” BMC sport director John Lelangue told VeloNews. “The Dauphiné is the biggest race we’ve done. We bring a strong team with many riders who can play a role.”

BMC earned the honor of being the only non-ProTour team invited to the 19-squad field for this year’s especially demanding edition of the Dauphiné, considering the final testing ground for many favorites bucking for victory next month in the Tour de France.

While BMC won’t be going to the Tour this year, its invitation to the Dauphiné is part of the team’s master plan toward reaching the Tour within the next few years.

Lelangue told VeloNews that the team is hoping to race the Vuelta a España next year and perhaps reach the Tour by 2011.

“We are going step-by-step. We are already taking big steps from last year, which was our first year in Europe. This is all part of the development of the team,” Lelangue said. “Next year, we want to focus more on the one-week stage races and perhaps go to the Vuelta. By 2011, it is our vision to be in the Tour.”

The team has already taken important steps this season in what’s its second racing in Europe and the United States.

This spring, the squad earned invites to the Critérium International and Paris-Roubaix, two races organized by Tour-owner ASO, where Lelangue worked until leaving to become sport director at Phonak.

“We have to be proud to be selected as the only pro continental team for the Dauphiné. The Dauphiné is one of the most important races. It has a big story. I remember coming here to see my father when he was racing with Eddy Merckx,” Lelangue said. “We are getting more and more experience in the European races and you are seeing an improvement in our results.”

This year, the team has been posting consistently solid results across Europe. No major breakthrough victories, but they’re getting close.

Tony Cruz was fourth at Scheldeprijs and Jeff Louder was 10th overall at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Matthias Frank rode to 12th overall at the Tour de Romandie while Thomas Frei recently finished 16th at the Tour of Belgium.

The team carries those encourages results into France, where the Dauphiné will present an even stiffer challenge, with two important individual time trials and three grueling climbing stages across the Alps.

Lelangue said the team hopes to exploit an opening between the top GC favorites, who will ride to control the race, allowing BMC jerseys to sneak into breakaways and ride aggressively.

“We have a solid team and we will be playing with more than one leader. A lot depends on the results of the time trials on Sunday and Wednesday,” he said. “After that, we will have a clearer idea of who our leaders will be for the mountains and we can go on the offensive.”

The team lines up with Swiss riders Markus Zberg, Mathias Frank, Thomas Frei and Alexandre Moos along with Americans Brent Bookwalter, Jeff Louder and Ian McKissick.

Frank, Frei and Louder have already notched some solid results in stage racing earlier this season, but Lelangue said the team will also have options for attacks across the team.

“A stage victory would be wonderful,” he said. “We want to be aggressive and fighting to the last day.”