Call it destiny, call it fate, call it a right of passage, but next season Greg Van Avermaet will command an entire squad for the first time in his illustrious career. The 33-year-old Belgian will lead the charge for the as-yet-unnamed merger between his current BMC Racing team and Pro Continental outfit CCC Sprandi Polkowice, whose main sponsor will headline the new team.
And with the team's aspirations limited to the Classics, Van Avermaet's role will be central to the team's success.
"I think the most important thing is that we create a team around me, and everyone has to step up – even me. I have to do better than before, and that has to be the motivation," Van Avermaet told Cyclingnews in Canada ahead of Friday's GP Cycliste de Québec and Sunday's GP Cycliste de Montréal.
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The nucleus of the team will be formed around Van Avermaet after several of BMC Racing's stage-race riders departed in the summer. The late arrival of a sponsor and the promise of a secure pay-cheque enticed the likes of Richie Porte, Rohan Dennis and Damiano Caruso to pastures new, while Stefan Küng and a volley of stage-race specialists also jumped ship.
In their place, the BMC Racing management have scoured the market for bargains and replacements. Patrick Bevin, Alessandro De Marchi, and Michael Schär are among those who've been retained, while Serge Pauwels and Guillaume Van Keirsbulck were picked up from rival teams.
"Those are the circumstances," said Van Avermaet. "A sponsor came pretty late, which wasn’t good to build a WorldTour team around, but I think that the Classics team is really strong.
Hitting the ground running
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/van-avermaet-everyone-has-to-step-up-next-year-even-me
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