Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team). Photo copyright Fotoreporter Sirotti.
He dreams of wearing the maglia rosa in the 2010 Giro d'Italia, wants to lead his new BMC Racing Team in the Tour de France, and - as an added bonus - Cadel Evans would very much like to become world champion again at the end of the season. The Australian clearly has ambitious goals for the current season. At the recent BMC Racing Team training camp in Agoura Hills, California, Roadcycling.com talked with Evans about how to achieve them.
"Becoming invited to the Tour de France is our biggest challenge at the moment. We already have to go for results in the spring to prove that we deserve to race in France," Evans said. As current World Champion, the 32 year-old has already proven that being successful isn't something he's just talking about. In the recent 2010 Tour Down Under he finished third in the hardest stage and took sixth overall.
Evans' first big goal is the 2010 Giro d'Italia. He leaves no doubt that he is one of the favorites in the race. "I am not going there for training, I am going there for results," Evans commented with great certainty radiating from his eyes. Winning or at least wearing the maglia rosa for a couple of stages will definitely boost Team BMC's chances of getting an invitation for the 2010 Tour de France.
Furthermore, the captain of the Swiss-American team has some unfinished business in France himself. After finishing second in 2007 and 2008 he went to the Tour as one of the favorites last year and suffered one of the darkest hours of his career when finishing only 30th. "It was hard for me, but in the end I enjoyed riding in the Gruppetto. At least you see something of the country," he said with a slight smile on his face.
Having a bit of trouble with his previous Team Silence-Lotto anyway, Evans chose to switch to road cycling's second division - and hasn't regretted it since. "It is a smaller team for sure. But less riders means fewer races. It is more about quality than quantity."
Evans is dedicated to the BMC project. He even signed for three years rather than the more usual one year. And the world champion will stay with the team even if they will not be invited to the Tour de France. "I don't have any clause in my contract. I only have a deal with my wife that I'll have to take her on a holiday if we miss the Tour," Evans laughed as we left the Team BMC training camp in sunny California.
