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FEATURES: INSIDE THE BMC TRAINING CAMP: RUBBIN' ELBOWS WITH RAINBOWS AND NEW BIKES
Zap
February 1, 2010
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For the previous two years when the Tour of California commenced in February, there was never any shortage of Professional team camps to attend throughout the Golden State. However, with the Tour of California now moved to May, the dearth of team camps is felt by everyone who previously relied on an infusion of Euro panache and technology to help get them through the winter months.
Luckily, for some reason (probably the Mexican food), BMC decided to head west this year anyway. And so one of the most talked about teams during the off-season brought their team camp to Agoura Hills (45 minutes north of Los Angeles) which besides offering some challenging roads for hard training, also happens to be ground zero for the final stage of this year's Tour.
It's been almost ten years since the BMC brand first crept into the minds of road cyclists. Although the brand has been in existence since 1994, mountain bikes were the name of the BMC game until they introduced their first road bike, the wild looking SLT01, which was introduced in 2001. In the years since, BMC has endured a roller coaster existence. Despite offering unique technology that gave the brand plenty of consumer attention and industry design awards, the BMC name had unfortunately been sullied by association from to the doping indiscretions of various (Phonak and Astana) team riders they sponsored (Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis, Alexander Vinokourov).
That was then... Three years ago BMC decided to start anew and they returned to racing in a much more low-key manner. As worn a cliché as it is, the new team on display for 2010 is akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes and their motto of being the “Excitement Research Team” seems more appropriate than ever before. For multiple reasons, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the brand right now. Though chiefly due to the powerhouse roster they've assembled, which on paper alone makes them one of the stronger teams competing in the Pro Tour (though as a Pro Continental team they lack the automatic invites to the big races that higher level Pro Tour teams receive), but also due to the recent creation of BMC USA. This newly formed group is made up of a handful of focused and devout cycling enthusiasts who are currently in the process of taking over the import and distribution duties for the Swiss designed bikes.
From everything I've heard from people in and out of the camp, the one recurring theme to the BMC brand that seems to keep it on a forward track, is the owner, Andy Rihs. Seldom is his name mentioned without the added superlatives such as "total cycling enthusiast" or "unbelievable passion for cycling." And so it is, another cycling super freak that helps bring good things to the world.
The media was given two days of access to the team and support personnel while they got in their training miles in Southern California before departing for places and races the globe over. The main take-away from the camp seemed clear, BMC is coming on strong for 2010. While there is no shortage of new Euro brands debuting in America (including Focus and Canyon), BMC is making the strongest pull out of the gate with fast riders and very impressive looking bikes. Here's some of what we saw while in attendance.
For more info, head to BMC Racing.
Like any good team camp expecting a handful of guests, this one started off with the basic car wash.
Conditioning coach Todd Herriot led the riders and staff through daily work-outs trying to increase their flexibility and range of motion with a key goal being injury prevention.
Who is the old guy in the blazer you ask? None other than renowned American cycling icon, Jim Ochowicz. "Och" was a racer from the 70's who parlayed his organizational skills and love of the sport into a job as the team director for the fabled 7-Eleven team of the 80's and the Motorola and U.S. Postal squad of the '90's. Jim is now putting his vast reservoir of cycling/racing knowledge to use as the President of BMC.
UP CLOSE: George Hincapie's Racemaster
Instead of having all the riders use the same bikes, BMC broke up the team into two categories (climbers/stage riders and sprinters/Classics riders) with an optimum bike for each. Since George Hincapie is not a designated climber, he (and about half the squad) were aboard the unique Racemaster SLX01which is actually a hybrid aluminum/carbon frame.
Here's what lies beneath the very cool Stars-N-Stripes paint on George's bike. The aluminum under carriage is mated to the carbon arc to maximize the ride/performance qualities of each material. One of the more unique aspects of the BMC is the proprietary, lug-less attachment system they use to join the carbon and aluminum tubes.
George is running a very thematic chain device from K-Edge to prevent the chain from slipping off the small ring.
While BMC frame sizing is based on the traditional middle to center measurement, it's odd that the 6'3" Hincapie would be riding a 57-centimeter frame (odder still that the almost as tall Alessandro Ballan rides a 55-centimeter frame). To accommodate his desired cockpit measurements, George runs a 130-millimeter stem and has his Selle Italia saddle slammed all the way back.
UP CLOSE: Cadel Evan's SLC01
Now this is a good looking bike. Like his teammate and 2008 World Champ Alessandro Ballan, Cadel has the full carbon SLC101 to call his own. In fact, between his race bikes, training bikes and home bikes, Cadel actually has six of them to call his own.
Easton is the brand behind the wheels, stems, handlebars and seatposts.
Whatever notions you might have that the racing world is adapting the more upright positioning favored by all the bike makers, forget it. Like any authentic low-rider cruising through Boyle Heights, the popular ProTour positioning is all about getting as long and low as possible.
What's the difference between being a 2008 World Champion versus the more recent 2009 World Champ? It seems abundantly clear with the Selle Italia saddles - Cadel gets the rainbow while Ballan gets plain white.
WHAT ABOUT CADEL?
In the most simple terms, Cadel Evans didn't have a very good 2009 season. Sure, there was his world championship victory, but like every top rider in the world, Cadel's “season” is realistically based on a little three week race in France. In fact, you needn't look any further than the 2010 World Champion himself to get the most honest assessment of how his 2009 season went. But that was 2009. At the BMC camp Cadel was brimming with the confidence that the coveted rainbow stripes brings along with a supportive team and some cool bikes to ride. Here's what Cadel had to say on a few topics....
• "It was hard last year because at one point the whole world thought I was a waste of time, but then BMC called and it changed everything – it's what set BMC apart. They originally said they were planning for the Tour in 2011, but then my agent (Tony Rominger) asked them what it would take to move it up a year. So we'll see. We're not in yet I know, but I think we have a good chance for an invite.”
• "I enjoyed the Tour de France more last year since I wasn't as focused on the results. I can tell you that at a certain point in the race, in my mind I was already onto my next goals. When your legs don't respond it's not really good with the head!”
• "Nobody argues with you when you wear the rainbow jersey. I think one difference between the rainbow and the yellow jersey is that with one good attack you can wear the rainbow for a year, but in the Tour, after 20 attacks you can only wear it for a day.”
A BONE OF CONTENTION
If there's one thing that race bikes (and mechanics) can always use, it's the ability to make on-the-fly adjustments to the bike...like having an adjustable front derailleur cable.
However, it seems the powers that be on the team are opposed to the unsightly cable adjuster so all the team bikes will ultimately run without.
THE BIKE TO COME
As fabulous looking as the BMC ProMachine SLC01 that Evans and Ballan are riding, it can be said that they have grown a bit long in the tooth by now. As a result, BMC showed-off what will become the new bike for the climbers; the BMC Team Machine SLR01. Highlights of the new frame design include a BB30 bottom bracket and a mix of both uni-directional and carbon weave construction. Delivery is slated for early Spring for the team and as BMC engineer said Rolf Sinngenberger said, “We don't want to introduce to the market something we can't deliver. In the past we were experts at that!”
BMC's Time Machine has been on the market for a few years already and despite it being an early adapter of the one piece, hinged fork/stem design, it sounded like there could be an updated version of the bike for 2011 (look for it in July).
No team is able to exist without the aid and support of its sponsors. Here are the companies that help keep BMC on the road.
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