# BMC's difficult choice between Tejay and Cadel



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

BMC bets on Tejay: No Cali defense as van Garderen builds for Tour - VeloNews.com


----------



## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

Is it really that difficult?

Tejay is the future ... Cadel is near retirement. Cadel's focus is the Giro and a Giro/Tour double is hard for even the best in history to pull off. It's pretty easy to make the call and get your future ready for the Tour and future Tour's.


----------



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Wookiebiker said:


> Is it really that difficult?
> 
> Tejay is the future ... Cadel is near retirement. Cadel's focus is the Giro and a Giro/Tour double is hard for even the best in history to pull off. It's pretty easy to make the call and get your future ready for the Tour and future Tour's.


In the end, I think you're right, but I think getting there was difficult for them. BMC is really the house that Cadel built, and he fully believes that he is capable of doing something similar to what Chris Horner did in the Vuelta for the next few years. He finished 3rd in the Giro in fact. So, it sounds like choosing to remove him from the TdF and getting him to accept it was a challenging process.


----------



## SNS1938 (Aug 9, 2013)

As much as I'd like to see Cadel race the TdF again and do well, I don't think he's going to be a real contender again. I know he did an amazing job in the Giro, but the Giro didn't have Froome and had the terrible weather that seemed to help him.

Now Tejay looks like he could do very well, maybe not this year, but giving him experience as the team leader in 2014, hopefully will set him up for 2015/16.

Cadel focusing on the Giro is also a good way to wind down the career. Who else is targeting the Giro this year? Nibali will surely be putting everything into the TdF, maybe Horner will get the Lampre deal and go all out in the Giro?

After not being that wrapped up in pro cycling for a few years, I'm looking forward to 2014 (The 2013 Giro and Vuelta were the most captivating grand tours I've watched in a while. The 2013 TdF never captured my imagination though).


----------



## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

Tejay is very good but he has not yet shown that he is capable of challenging for the TdF podium. Seems like they're passing the torch to someone not yet ready to carry it.

For all that team spends on it's roster I think they should trade some of their classics riders for more depth in GC. Maybe they can use Ballan's recently freed up funds to hire Horner? That could be good for Tejay's development.


----------



## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Tejay was two steps off the podium and two in front of Cadel in the '12 TDF, no?


----------



## mpre53 (Oct 25, 2011)

looigi said:


> Tejay was two steps off the podium and two in front of Cadel in the '12 TDF, no?


And was kept under wraps in support of Cadel, until it became clear that Evans wasn't going to get close to Wiggins.


----------



## InfiniteLoop (Mar 20, 2010)

looigi said:


> Tejay was two steps off the podium and two in front of Cadel in the '12 TDF, no?


He did a great ride in that tour, but he also wasn't marked so could get away with a lot more. Life's a lot tougher when people know who you are and consider you even a little bit of a threat. Quintana will face the same at this year's tour if he's doing well.


----------



## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

looigi said:


> Tejay was two steps off the podium and two in front of Cadel in the '12 TDF, no?


It's a long two steps. 
He was 45th last year.


----------



## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

"Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results"

Coming in 45th doesn't mean he can't win as much as placing 5th means he will. Of course BMC are intimately familiar with all his past performances and have all his detailed performance and training data, as well as that of Cadel Evans, on which to base their decision as to where to place their bets.


----------



## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

would be fitting to see 2 old guys in Horner and Cadel duke it out in the Giro.

Cadel is no longer a TdF contender if all the "A" players show up.

Tejay, on the other hand, may have a chance to podium if one of those "A" players had a little slip-up. You have to go with Tejay and hope for a chance to take advantage of that slip-up from your opponents.

One is on the decline, one is on the rise. I'd say now is the perfect time to pass the torch.


----------



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

aclinjury said:


> would be fitting to see 2 old guys in Horner and Cadel duke it out in the Giro.
> 
> Cadel is no longer a TdF contender if all the "A" players show up.
> 
> ...


I pretty much agree. I kind of feel like Tejay really left them no choice when he won the Tour of California and the U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge last year and Cadel didn't win anything really. Those wins effectively moved him from a young guy with potential and a streak of best young rider jerseys and top 10 finishes to a winner and a closer (even if they were smaller races). When that is combine that with his top 5 TdF finish two years ago, Cadel's recent performances in the TdF, and the fact that riding with two captains really isn't working for them, they have to at least let him try. Alan Pieper seems to be all business this year and I think the same thing will happen with Hushovd and Gilbert if they don't produce this season as well. They appear to be adding younger guys to the roster that can ride as captains in the classics and stage races if the vets don't prove they can be competitive.


----------



## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

looigi said:


> "Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results"
> 
> Coming in 45th doesn't mean he can't win as much as placing 5th means he will.


Sure it does. He got 5th when he was a designated helper to Cadel. He got 45th when he was supposed to be riding for his own result. I'm not saying he's bad, just that he's farther away from being a contender than BMC is positioning him to be. With the way they spend on payroll, I would expect Cadel's right hand man to be a legitimate contender with European stage race wins in his palmares. Tejay may get there, but he's not there yet.


----------



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

davidka said:


> Sure it does. He got 5th when he was a designated helper to Cadel. He got 45th when he was supposed to be riding for his own result. I'm not saying he's bad, just that he's farther away from being a contender than BMC is positioning him to be. With the way they spend on payroll, I would expect Cadel's right hand man to be a legitimate contender with European stage race wins in his palmares. Tejay may get there, but he's not there yet.


Fair enough, but their whole team underperformed last season (except for maybe Van Avermaet). They just didn't look fit, so it might not be a Tejay problem as much as it was a sports director problem. That's what his being let go suggests anyway. My understanding is that Alan Peiper has taken over director duties and completely reworked everyone's programs (Tejay and Cadel won't overlap anymore really as a result to avoid confusion about who is the leader), helped Cadel understand that he has a different role now, and explained to Tejay and Phinney that it is time to produce. We'll see if it all pays off soon enough.


----------



## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

I know it's only January but Cadel just DROPPED Porte and Gerrans to seize the leader's jersey @ TdU. Didn't see that coming. With the tougher MSR route, Cadel might be a real threat there.

With Tour Down Under stage win, Evans re-stakes his claim - VeloNews.com


----------



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

davidka said:


> I know it's only January but Cadel just DROPPED Porte and Gerrans to seize the leader's jersey @ TdU. Didn't see that coming. With the tougher MSR route, Cadel might be a real threat there.
> 
> With Tour Down Under stage win, Evans re-stakes his claim - VeloNews.com


Alan Peiper doesn't mess around man. He was able to get a Garmin team that had been all over the place in races strategically focused, organized and fit enough to win the Giro with a guy that had pretty much been a journeyman and occasional stage winner. With what I've seen thus far from Stetina, Brookwalter, Phinney, and Cadel, it could be a really good year for BMC. Maybe I spoke to soon when I said I would try to support the reorganized Trek Factory Racing this year.... :


----------



## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

Rashadabd said:


> Maybe I spoke to soon when I said I would try to support the reorganized Trek Factory Racing this year.... :


They're off to a pretty strong start too. 2 of 3 stages @ San Luis so far with Nizzolo overhauling Boonen after Cav led him out.


----------



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

davidka said:


> They're off to a pretty strong start too. 2 of 3 stages @ San Luis so far with Nizzolo overhauling Boonen after Cav led him out.


You are absolutely right. Both squads are grabbing 2014 by the horns thus far. I guess Cadel (given his interview yesterday) would say the difference is that BMC goes after GC wins and not just stage victories. I'm not sure I buy that 100%, but it will be exciting to see how things turn out for both teams though.


----------



## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

I'm a big Cadel fan but I don't think this was as difficult of a decision as it may seem for BMC. I remember a bit back, during the 2012 TDF, that BMC said that their plan was to back Cadel for GC for one more year and then pass the torch to Tejay. It seems that is exactly what they are doing. 

I would love to see Cadel ride another good Tour but I can see the logic behind what BMC is doing. Even if they don't think that Tejay has a better chance than Cadel at winning the Tour this year, I'm sure that they believe that he has a better chance at winning the Tour in several years to come. Therefore, it makes sense to go ahead and let him get experience riding the Tour as the top GC man. This also makes sense when one considers that the team management also believes that Cadel can win the Giro this year. 



Veteran rider who probably won't win the Tour again but his team believes that he can win the Giro and other races 

+ 

Young rider who may not win the Tour this year but has a chance and an even better chance at winning it in several years to come

= 

The decision BMC made.


----------



## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

I would also like to see Cadel give the classics a legitimate go again this year. He is a hell of a classics rider and powerful in the Ardennes. In retrospect (which is always clearer), I would have rather Cadel spent the past two years after winning the Tour focusing on the Giro and classics. He's VERY hard to beat in a steep uphill sprint.


----------



## SNS1938 (Aug 9, 2013)

Rashadabd said:


> ... I kind of feel like Tejay really left them no choice when he won the Tour of California and the U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge last year and Cadel didn't win anything really.


Whilst I agree with your conclusion, the logic to get there seems backwards. Personally, I would put Cadel's Giro performance above Tejays ToC performance (as the Giro had a tougher field and is an actual 3 week Grand Tour, like the TdF).


----------



## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Cadel needs to focus on a few very specific goals.
Lately he has tried to do too many different things. He is too old for that. He does not have the recovery to win a Tour and I doubt the Giro either. He could target specific stages or go for single day races. 
Doing the Tour and Giro is crazy nowadays. Too many riders focussing on one or the other. All the guys who did the Giro looked dead tired at the Tour.


----------



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

SNS1938 said:


> Whilst I agree with your conclusion, the logic to get there seems backwards. Personally, I would put Cadel's Giro performance above Tejays ToC performance (as the Giro had a tougher field and is an actual 3 week Grand Tour, like the TdF).


I see where you are coming from, but not really if you have been following BMC for a while. BMC has seen him as the heir apparent for a couple of years now, but he kept coming up as a bride's maid in every race they expected him to win and some were starting to wonder whether he (and Phinney) is/are more potential than the real deal and to doubt whether he could put it all together and win a race in the GC category. Last year, he silenced those critics to a large degree. 

Sure, we all would love a 3rd in the Giro, but BMC knows both of their overall fitness and skill levels and I would guess they view Tejay's top 5 in the TdF in 2012 as equal or superior to Cadel's top three in the Giro last year. So, they were left with no response to a young man that they have probably been telling-- show us you can win GC in a meaningful race and we will make you a captain in a grand tour when he did just that-- twice. Cadel made it even easier by not looking great in the TdF the last couple of years and some believe that Tejay could have finished higher in 2012 if he hadn't spent so much time working for a less than 100% effective Cadel. So, they are going to let Cadel focus on the race he has looked strongest in recently and release the reins on Tejay. Either way, you end up in the same place: it's time to see what Tejay has and to send Cadel a subtle message (the same one they reportedly sent Gilbert, Hushovd, and Phinney over the offseason-- produce because their will be no more gimme seasons at BMC). We'll see how it all plays out in the end I guess.


----------



## Hiro11 (Dec 18, 2010)

Honestly, I don't think either are genuine threats for a Tour win this year.

Cadel had moments of brilliance at TDU, but he ultimately cracked ever so slightly under Porte's relentless attacks. He's still tough as nails and shouldn't be counted out, but I don't think he's a genuine threat to the likes of Froome, Valverde, Nibali or Quintana.

Tejay undeniably had a great season last year with the exception of the Tour. His performances in California and Colorado were dominant and controlled (against admittedly B+ competition), he probably could have won the Tour de Suisse if he had been given a longer leash and his Paris-Nice was very solid. However, I want to see him win Paris-Nice or the Dauphine before I put him up there as a potential Tour winner. He needs to deliver in Europe.


----------



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Hiro11 said:


> Honestly, I don't think either are genuine threats for a Tour win this year.
> 
> Cadel had moments of brilliance at TDU, but he ultimately cracked ever so slightly under Porte's relentless attacks. He's still tough as nails and shouldn't be counted out, but I don't think he's a genuine threat to the likes of Froome, Valverde, Nibali or Quintana.
> 
> Tejay undeniably had a great season last year with the exception of the Tour. His performances in California and Colorado were dominant and controlled (against admittedly B+ competition), he probably could have won the Tour de Suisse if he had been given a longer leash and his Paris-Nice was very solid. However, I want to see him win Paris-Nice or the Dauphine before I put him up there as a potential Tour winner. He needs to deliver in Europe.


I would say that's a pretty fair assessment. FYI though, Quintana won't be doing the TdF this year. Movistar announced today that he will be focusing on the Giro and Valverde will lead the TdF team. 

Movistar Confirms Quintana For Giro And Valverde For Tour | Cyclingnews.com


----------



## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

Like Hiro11, I'd like to see Tejay at least podium in a couple of Euro stage races after the classics season before I would have any confidence that he could pull another top 5 performance in the TdF. I think that he's probably BMC's guy for now, but he needs to prove he's got what it takes in Europe. Most top riders will show some kind of build up in form before the TdF.

I also would like to see Evans pull off a nice classics win this year. It would be a perfect capstone to a great career. Then he can retire or ride one more year in support as the road captain or something like that.


----------



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

i think it's important to note that bmc's plan for tejay is not to win next year, it's to get there sometime within the next FIVE years, which makes far more sense. he's not ready yet to compete with froome/nibbles/quintana et al. his time trial is competitive, but he can't climb with the top five riders in the world. not as yet, anyway.


----------



## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

dnice said:


> i think it's important to note that bmc's plan for tejay is not to win next year, it's to get there sometime within the next FIVE years...


Next year is within then next five years, no? If so, winning next year would meet the goal of winning within the next 5. 

By next year you mean 2015?


----------



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

looigi said:


> Next year is within then next five years, no? If so, winning next year would meet the goal of winning within the next 5.
> 
> By next year you mean 2015?


well, you got me on that one.

to be more clear, i was alluding the bolded part of the quote which implies that team management doesn't see a win next year or this as a realistic goal. 

“We’re in a building phase with Tejay right now,” said Peiper. “He is still only 25. *It will be another five or six years before he would come to his peak. It took Cadel quite a few years before he won the Tour.* With Tejay, we’ve got to keep our feet on the ground, and build the team for the future.”


----------



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

I shared this in another thread, but this outlines how the changes went down at BMC this offseason.

Sciandri celebrates Dubai win as Phinney embraces change at BMC - VeloNews.com


----------



## Hiro11 (Dec 18, 2010)

Rashadabd said:


> Sciandri celebrates Dubai win as Phinney embraces change at BMC - VeloNews.com


Interesting article. I'm not sure why people doubt Phinney. His 2012 results indicate that he can clearly roll with the big boys in an ITT. His 2013 wasn't seemingly as great but look closer and there's a lot of promise there. Singlehandedly he almost caught the leaders in MSR, he got caught out a bit on the Poggio but came home like a ****ing train. Watch the end of that race and see him edging into the screen at the finish. He was about to shut those guys down. Also, his attack and win in stage 4 of the Tour of Poland was bold and smart last year. Overall, I'm a fan. He's got a serious engine and seems to be developing solid racing instincts. Also, people forget that he's not scared to mix it up in a sprint. Lastly, he's hilarious on Instagram.


----------



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

More BMC Tejay talk:

BMC Racing building Tour team around Tejay van Garderen - VeloNews.com


----------

