BMC going into Vuelta a Espana without a clear GC leader

BMC Racing is heading into the Vuelta a España with a strong team but without a clear general classification leader.

The nine-man roster announced Monday includes Tejay van Garderen, Nicolas Roche and Samuel Sánchez, all of whom will start the race with a top GC result in mind, while Alessandro De Marchi, Damiano Caruso and Rohan Dennis will be on the hunt for stage wins. Kilian Frankiny will make his Grand Tour debut, while Daniel Oss and Francisco Ventoso will supply the power and protection for the GC riders.

"It's a tough course with lots of steep uphill finishes that lends many different opportunities for attacks and an explosive style of racing," van Garderen said in a statement released with the roster announcement.

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"I'd like to try and climb as high as possible on the general classification and hopefully challenge for a stage victory," van Garderen said. "We also have a strong team to challenge for the team classification, which would be a huge honor to win."

The team's immediate goal will be to take out the 13.8-kilomere opening team time trial in Nimes, France, on August 19. BMC won the world championship in the event in 2015 and 2016, but lost the title to Etixx-QuickStep last year.

"To start with, the team time trial in Nimes is a big objective for us," said team director Yvon Ledanois. "Team time trials are always an important discipline for BMC Racing Team, but here at the Vuelta a España, a good result means starting the three-week race with good morale and motivation, and potentially the leader's jersey"

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