Ben Hermans says that he has no excuses not to perform when he assumes a leadership role at the Israel Cycling Academy next season. Hermans is one of a 10 new recruits for the Pro Continental squad as they look to strengthen their roster for 2018 season.
The Belgian is stepping down to the second tier of cycling after eight seasons at WorldTour level, the last four with BMC Racing. It is a move that brings with it more freedom but also more pressure and a chance to see what he is capable of when he can fully race for himself.
"It was a really tough decision to make when I had to choose between BMC and this team," Hermans told Cyclingnews in Israel at the team’s recent training camp. "Then I talked to a lot of people around me and they said to me that in this team I would get more opportunities for myself. In the last eight years, I had chances but never really as a leader. Now, I have the team around me to support me and to give me more freedom. I don’t have an excuse anymore."
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Hermans had the chance to meet his new team at a four-day camp in Israel that pushed the riders with a two-day hike through the mountains near Jerusalem and provided them with an opportunity to learn about the history of the country, the good and the bad. Hermans and the new inductees were also introduced to the team owners Ron Baron and Sylvan Adams, the latter of whom greeted his new star rider by saying, “next year is going to be a big one for you.”
With the calendar still a very loose structure at the moment, Hermans has not set himself any specific ambitions for the 2018 season. For the Belgian, it is about hanging with the best as long as he can whatever the race may be.
"I don’t think that the team is expecting me to win Tirreno-Adriatico or the Giro, but for me, the expectations are always to be there in the front with the top riders and to maybe get a top 10 result in a GC," he explained. "When you go top 10 then you want to be top five and then you want to be on the podium. You always want to do better until you win."
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