Forced out of the Tour de France close to the podium last month, Tejay Van Garderen could be out for revenge in his first ever Vuelta. But for his BMC team director Yvon Ledanois, the American is above all going to learn in an event “that is raced differently from others”.
“I hope he has swallowed the pill of leaving the Tour so close to Paris with a podium within his reach. I know tha the has worked hard for this Vuelta, tha the has recovered with his family and left his doubts behind. But there are other leaders with more experience of the race and bidding for great results. We’re not going to start as favourites,” the Frenchman said.
Van Garderen left the Tour de France through illness in the17th stage as he was lying third with four days to go before Paris. At 27, the BMC team leader never rode anyother grand tour besides the French one.
“For Tejay, the Vueltais a chance to prove that his withdrawal was an accident. It’s also an opportunity to discover another grand tour, one that is being raced differently. It’sgoing to be an apprenticeship.”
The French team director, who spent a lot of his career in Spain, considers the Tour of Spain as a more open race as ittakes place in the end of the season and becauseits course isideal for smaller Spanish teams to express themselves.
“I adore this race. It’s not a closed race and the course is magnificent with nine mountain top finishes. It’s a different approach when you start by 45 degrees before finding yourself in Andorra for a stage with 5,000 metres of vertical drop. It leaves the door open to beautiful breakaways.”
While the composition of the BMC team is far from definite, Van Garderenshould count on the support of France’s Amael Moinard but also former Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez, who will ride his 8thedition of a race he always finished in the top 15, even reaching second place in 2009.
“We’re going to see how Sam feels but at his age and with his experience, he will first of all have a role as a race captain. It would be a mistake to put pressure on him by making him a leader. He knows himself well and we’ll see whether he has the legs or not. But I’ve rarely seen such a professional rider. He is essential in a team for hisexperience and hisknowledge of the race. He is my key rider.”
While BMC will not field a pure sprinter, they will bring along Luxembourg’s Jempy Drucker, the recent winner of the RideLondon Classic.
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