American Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) has had a rollercoaster beginning to his 2015 season as he prepares for his top target, the Tour de France in July. Van Garderen has twice finished fifth overall in the race – in 2012 and again last year – and as a reward was given reins to the team as Cadel Evans made his exit.
But the 26-year-old's tenure as the BMC leader has been a mixed bag. His result in the 2012 Tour signalled his potential for the Grand Tours, and he started 2013 with his first major win at the 2.HC Tour of California. Van Garderen faltered at the Tour de France that year, however, and despite finishing second on an epic stage to Alpe d'Heuz, he came in 45th in the general classification.
Van Garderen started the 2014 season with an impressive second place at the Tour of Oman behind Chris Froome (Team Sky), but he was forced to quit Paris-Nice during the first stage due to illness. He bounced back to finish third overall at the Volta a Catalunya and win the decisive mountain stage to Vallter 2000-Setcases. He was sixth overall at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco and was targeting success at the Tour de Romandie but crashed hard in the prologue time trial, fracturing his hip. Van Garderen returned for the Critérium du Dauphiné and rode to his second fifth-place finish at the Tour.
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So far this year, van Garderen has duplicated his runner-up result in Oman and was on target for a top result in Paris-Nice before cracking on a cold wet stage and slipping from fourth overall to 16th. In Catalunya, van Garderen saw his general classification hopes slip away on a crash during a descent, but he bounced back the next day by winning the Queen Stage. He eventually finished 30th overall.
This week van Garderen is at the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco, where Orica-GreenEdge sprinter Michael Matthews has the overall lead after two stages.
Cyclingnews caught up with van Garderen after Monday's opening stage in Bilbao, where his BMC teammate Peter Stetina went down in a horrible crash as the sprint trains line up in the final 500 metres, fracturing his tibia, patella and four ribs.
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