# BMC Racing Team Signs Philippe Gilbert



## elessarcif (Mar 12, 2011)

Well the super team is assembled. How will they interact with each other? I really think Gilbert will be good for the team but will this team be good for Gilbert? There are alot of classics racers on this team now.


----------



## mtrider05 (Aug 8, 2009)

Holy super team batman, I think they have a perfect line up of guys. Thor for Belgium classics, Phil for the Ardennes and Cadel for grand tour GC. Holy crap.


----------



## yurl (Mar 31, 2010)

wow 'on paper' a superteam, they should now the number 1 ranked team having the top 2 ranked riders + world champ. If the superstars stick to their own set goals and play super domestique when its not their priority then it may work. 
Just get the feeling there are too many alpha dogs in the kennel.


----------



## elessarcif (Mar 12, 2011)

yurl said:


> wow 'on paper' a superteam, they should now the number 1 ranked team having the top 2 ranked riders + world champ. If the superstars stick to their own set goals and play super domestique when its not their priority then it may work.
> Just get the feeling there are too many alpha dogs in the kennel.


I get a feeling it will be that way also but I have to expect that BMC realizes that as well and has made very clear which racers get what priorities. Sadly I think Hincapie will be left out of this boys club.


----------



## harlond (May 30, 2005)

elessarcif said:


> I get a feeling it will be that way also but I have to expect that BMC realizes that as well and has made very clear which racers get what priorities. Sadly I think Hincapie will be left out of this boys club.


They let him work for others this year, why wouldn't they next year? Was there any race that the big three targeted that Hincapie was the leader for this year?

Hincapie is a great domestique, I don't see how this changes anything for him.


----------



## elessarcif (Mar 12, 2011)

harlond said:


> They let him work for others this year, why wouldn't they next year? Was there any race that the big three targeted that Hincapie was the leader for this year?
> 
> Hincapie is a great domestique, I don't see how this changes anything for him.


Paris Roubaix


----------



## Mark Kelly (Oct 27, 2009)

Jeez you guys have short memories. 

October 09 saw the newly crowned world champion Cadel Evans, racing his last in Silence Lotto colours, utterly burying himself to help team mate Phillipe Gilbert win the Giro di Lombardia.

This victory was pretty much the start of PGs current purple patch where he wins almost anything that's got a decent hill and doesn't go too long.


----------



## innergel (Jun 14, 2002)

You can bet they talked to Cadel about this, at least a little bit, before they signed PG.


----------



## Fignon's Barber (Mar 2, 2004)

mtrider05 said:


> Holy super team batman, I think they have a perfect line up of guys. Thor for Belgium classics, Phil for the Ardennes and Cadel for grand tour GC. Holy crap.


Thor seemed to work out leadership roles smoothly with tyler farrar in this year's classic (not!).


----------



## TerminatorX91 (Mar 27, 2011)

elessarcif said:


> I get a feeling it will be that way also but I have to expect that BMC realizes that as well and has made very clear which racers get what priorities. Sadly I think Hincapie will be left out of this boys club.


Nonsense. He'll keep doing his job. Harlord is right.


----------



## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

Fignon's Barber said:


> Thor seemed to work out leadership roles smoothly with tyler farrar in this year's classic (not!).


Ahhh but at BMC Thor will be undisputed leader for Flanders and PR likly with PG and Hincapie riding at his service. In the Ardennes PG will have Cadel riding for him a role that Cadel has filled before happily and in the tour Cadel gets all the support he deserves as defending champion.


----------



## 88 rex (Mar 18, 2008)

The pressure is on, that's for sure. If everyone knows their place and performs their roles accordingly then all should work out. Cadel said he is ready to play domestique for Gilbert so I think everyone knows what they need to do to be successful as a team and individually. Will definitely be interesting to watch.


----------



## Fignon's Barber (Mar 2, 2004)

32and3cross said:


> Ahhh but at BMC Thor will be undisputed leader for Flanders and PR likly with PG and Hincapie riding at his service. .


gilbert, a belgian, has a much better chance of winning flanders than thor. i think your right on PR, but that is probably the only spring race I'd give him priority over PG. this year, thor seemed to be sulking by when, het volk?


----------



## TerminatorX91 (Mar 27, 2011)

Mark Kelly said:


> Jeez you guys have short memories.
> 
> October 09 saw the newly crowned world champion Cadel Evans, racing his last in Silence Lotto colours, utterly burying himself to help team mate Phillipe Gilbert win the Giro di Lombardia.
> 
> This victory was pretty much the start of PGs current purple patch where he wins almost anything that's got a decent hill and doesn't go too long.


I remember. 

The difference is Hushovd plus Phinney who apparently finally woke up and realized he had stop shopping cloths with his new money and start living and training like a pro. I'm amazed nobody posted on this forum about Phinney's solid performance at the Eneco Tour. I think he may be turning things around in a big way. Add Van Avermaet and Hincapie and you've got a damn good team.


----------



## TerminatorX91 (Mar 27, 2011)

Fignon's Barber said:


> gilbert, a belgian, has a much better chance of winning flanders than thor. i think your right on PR, but that is probably the only spring race I'd give him priority over PG. this year, thor seemed to be sulking by when, het volk?


This.


----------



## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

Fignon's Barber said:


> Thor seemed to work out leadership roles smoothly with tyler farrar in this year's classic (not!).


Farrar was all but absent in major classics where Thor expected to be the leader. They are very different riders.
Garmin seemed to have a different problem for Thor - the DS (and not just Garmin - BMC as well) were more interested in rolling the dice and preventing Cancellara from winning.


----------



## vipergts (Aug 18, 2011)

Wow now the wait is on Mark to see where he will sign.


----------



## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

I have a bad feeling about the TdF. Thor should legitimately be expected to pursue Green and Gilbert has to do something - stage wins, Green, whtever. It will be very tricky to support their aspirations while also riding for the defending champion, IMHO.

JSR


----------



## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

JSR said:


> I have a bad feeling about the TdF. Thor should legitimately be expected to pursue Green and Gilbert has to do something - stage wins, Green, whtever. It will be very tricky to support their aspirations while also riding for the defending champion, IMHO.
> 
> JSR


Frankly, I think Thor's days of going for the green are now over (sadly). I think he can go for stage wins, a-la Gilbert. It may make sense to split them up a bit - have Thor race Giro or Vuleta, for example. But you are correct, there are only so many things a team can do well, and supporting the GC contender in Evans, in addition to stage wins, could be tough. Then again, how much support did someone like Thor or Gilbert really need for their stage wins? Gilbert wins anything that finishes uphill with a 200m surge, and Thor will try from breakaway or small group sprints. Having strong guys like Phinney or Hincapie work for a few closing km's is all they need, really.

Unfortunately we won't see Evans vs. Gilbert uphill drag races, I enjoyed them this year in TdF.


----------



## loubnc (May 8, 2008)

innergel said:


> You can bet they talked to Cadel about this, at least a little bit, before they signed PG.


I'm sure they did. In today's press release it sounded like Cadel was more than happy with the signing. He even said he "suspected" he would be a domestique in the Ardennes.

I also agree with Renshaw saying "How do we stop BMC?".:idea:

This just might work if they play it correctly.


----------



## harlond (May 30, 2005)

elessarcif said:


> Paris Roubaix


I think Ballan (who finished 6th) was BMC's leader for Paris Roubaix this year.


----------



## F45 (Nov 25, 2010)

I don't think this is going to work out well at all. At least it will make for good drama next year.


----------



## El Caballito (Oct 31, 2004)

elessarcif said:


> Paris Roubaix


Though a long shot now wiith Thor and PG on BMC, I'd still like to see Hincapie win Paris Roubaix.


----------



## Gatorback (Jul 11, 2009)

In regard to Hincapie, there is significant value in having one of the most beloved American cyclists on an American owned team. You better believe he will be worth his value in TV coverage as he helps others win championships. He'll garner as much air time for BMC on Versus as Gilbert and Hushovd. His experience is big races and with loaded teams is also quite valuable.


----------



## dougydee (Feb 15, 2005)

Now that BMC has this awesome team on paper, It's up to the big 3, Cadel, Thor and Gilbert to ride themselves into the ground for their teammates at the appropriate time to gain the respect and trust from them that will assist them with their own goals. If it works out it could be an amazing year for BMC and the three individuals.


----------



## FlandersFields (Jul 16, 2010)

It's funny how some say Thor will be the n1 for BMC in Flanders. PG is way stronger in Flanders, and it's a race he never won. 

As a huge Hincapie fan, I regret he will never win Roubaix now.

I don't like superteams. It never turns out good, look at Leopard.


----------



## T0mi (Mar 2, 2011)

dougydee said:


> Now that BMC has this awesome team on paper, It's up to the big 3, Cadel, Thor and Gilbert to ride themselves into the ground for their teammates at the appropriate time to gain the respect and trust from them that will assist them with their own goals. If it works out it could be an amazing year for BMC and the three individuals.


Hushovd and Gilbert train together already and are great friends, I bet they will handle it nicely. Hushovd paid tribute to his hilly training with Gilbert when he managed to keep the yellow jersey at Super Besse and when he won the 13th TDF stage.


----------



## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

FlandersFields said:


> It's funny how some say Thor will be the n1 for BMC in Flanders. PG is way stronger in Flanders, and it's a race he never won.
> 
> As a huge Hincapie fan, I regret he will never win Roubaix now.
> 
> I don't like superteams. It never turns out good, look at Leopard.


Agreed, on all counts.

Thor isn't really dedicated to _*all*_ the Belgian cobbled classics- only Paris-Roubaix.And Phillippe isn't just one for the Ardennes- he's been on the podium for RvV two times already!
That said, because they are friends and training buddies, I think they'll be fine.
(At least until Phillippe decides that he needs to win the 5 "monuments" and sets P-R as a real goal...)


----------



## Gatorback (Jul 11, 2009)

I really hope it plays out that way with Hushovd and Gilbert riding hard for each other at the various classics. It makes sense that Hushovd would ride for Gilbert at RvV and Gilbert would ride for Hushovd at Paris-Roubaix. Its probably a good deal for both of them given how badly Hushovd wants the Roubaix win. 

It would be nice to see Evans there with them, but I wonder if the team will risk injury and burnout with Evans since he is the defending Tour champ.


----------



## teoteoteo (Sep 8, 2002)

TerminatorX91 said:


> I remember.
> 
> The difference is Hushovd plus Phinney who apparently finally woke up and realized he had stop shopping cloths with his new money and start living and training like a pro. I'm amazed nobody posted on this forum about Phinney's solid performance at the Eneco Tour.


The Phinney return to form seems to also correspond to the time the tweets about the girlfriend stopped. Speaking of Eneco you'd have to also mention Sergent's performance in the longer TT too. 

https://twitter.com/#!/DaniellaGrace


----------



## elessarcif (Mar 12, 2011)

I am actually feeling a bit dirty being a fan of BMC. I fear I might be following the yankees of cycling.


----------



## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

FlandersFields said:


> It's funny how some say Thor will be the n1 for BMC in Flanders. PG is way stronger in Flanders, and it's a race he never won.
> 
> As a huge Hincapie fan, I regret he will never win Roubaix now.
> 
> I don't like superteams. It never turns out good, look at Leopard.


nope never turns out good. never


----------



## sp3000 (Jul 10, 2007)

I think it will be great. One thing that has come up from all the riders, time and time again, is that BMC have a very specific plan for every rider in the squad and that they execute each plan very well. 
This was great for Cadel and if anyone heard any of his numerous interviews he must have repeated it a thousand times, BMC plan, stuck to plan, plan.plan.plan. One of the first interviews I saw with Thor after he signed on was saying exactly that as well. All three of these guys are very experienced riders and it seems they all agree with the way BMC structure the team and train the team. Thor said they have a very serious training mentality at BMC. 
As an Australian I am just so happy to see Cadel on a team that he deserves after all these years. Thor is just amazing and (don't tell anyone down here) is my favorite all time rider. 
BMC all the way.


----------



## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

sp3000 said:


> I think it will be great. One thing that has come up from all the riders, time and time again, is that BMC have a very specific plan for every rider in the squad and that they execute each plan very well.
> This was great for Cadel and if anyone heard any of his numerous interviews he must have repeated it a thousand times, BMC plan, stuck to plan, plan.plan.plan. One of the first interviews I saw with Thor after he signed on was saying exactly that as well....


Yep- one of the best quips I saw (on a different forum, IIRC), was that Thor was unhappy w/ Vaughter's "loosey-goosey" planning-on-the-fly style and wanted more structure.
I hope everything gels and they crush the classics!


----------

