Tejay van Garderen (BMC) in general keeps his emotions and ambitions under control when talking to the media but the American seemed confident of his chances at Tirreno-Adriatico and ready to race aggressively when he talked to journalists after the pre-race press conference.
Van Garderen has opted for a low-key opening to the 2016 season after the disappointment of quitting both the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana in 2015. His second place behind Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) at the Ruta del Sol indicated he had recovered and trained well during the winter and he has the support of a strong BMC squad at Tirreno-Adriatico.
His only concern is giving away home turf advantage to his rivals of the calibre of Vincenzo Nibali.
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“Fitness wise I feel good. If we were lining up for the USA Pro Cycling challenge, then I don’t think these guys would beat me,” he told Cyclingnews and other media. “But home court advantage means a lot. I’m going to stick the favourite tag on Vincenzo but I think I’m going to challenge him really well.
“The end of last season went pretty poorly, with exciting from the Tour and then taking an even earlier exit from the Vuelta. But I feel I started my work a little bit earlier this year and it feels like it’s definitely paid off. I think I came into the season well. I’m feeling really good and came into this one strong and I think we’ve got a shot at victory.”
Van Garderen admitted that he underestimated Valverde’s attack at the Ruta del Sol. The Spaniard attacked early on the finishing climb to Penas Blancas and van Garderen was unable to close the gap and defend the race lead he had secured by winning the time trial stage.
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