What are BMC Team Success factors

[toolittle]

Before season,

BMC team have been rated as weakest pro team.
Many people criticized UCI to put BMC into World Tour World.

Now, BMC team gained biggest success.

What are the factors for their achievement?

- Race tactics?
- Rider Quality?
- Lucky?
- Coaching?
- Clinic?
- BMC Bike?

 

[Midnightfright]

Before season,

BMC team have been rated as weakest pro team.
Many people criticized UCI to put BMC into World Tour World.

Now, BMC team gained biggest success.

What are the factors for their achievement?

- Race tactics?
- Rider Quality?
- Lucky?
- Coaching?
- Clinic?
- BMC Bike?

I think numerous things, clinic possibly , mostly that they were a bit better than most thought bit its almost entirely due to having the rider of the 3 weeks. I mean outside of the tour and cadel the rest of shown very little this year.

 

[mulletCobra]

Luck.. and Evans not cracking under pressure. I don't think it has anything to do with BMC and everything to do with Cadel finally realizing what he needed to do to win. I'm also sure he knew this was going to be his only shot with Alberto not being 100%. So he waited, never made a stupid move.. He covered every move that he was supposed to cover, and attacked when it made sense.

 

[sublimit]

Evans is BMC, the other riders are pretty much useless, Mathias Frank rides quite well but for some reason not picked.

A fresh Contador would of put 5 minutes into him but he got the Giro instead.

 

[El Pistolero]

They were good on the flat and hilly stages, but Evans was just lucky not to crash. Otherwise they were as uselesss as you could expect from them. Except in the TTT of couse, a bunch of nobodies except Cuddles(and Hincapie, but how old is he now?) almost winning a TTT in the Tour. Now that was a surprise.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

Lucky.

Half the contenders crashed out. Contador was fatigued from the Giro and injured. The Schlecks were not at their best. Of the riders remaining, Evans was the strongest.

Voeckler and Cunego climbing with the lead pack showed that the level of climbing was not at the high level it usually is.

 

[therhodeo]

I don't think they were completely invisible in the classics this year. Especially P-R. But to almost any sponsor in the Pro Tour BMC succeeded in doing what they all hope to do. TDF is the big one.

 

[lostincosmos]

Hrm, I think their biggest advantages for this tour were:

1 - stage 1 crash that held up two other contenders
2 - remaining contenders were in bad shape (basso) or have no clue how to race their bikes (schlecks)

Kudos to cuddles for holding it together for 3 weeks, and he certainly earned the jersey this year. But it wasn't exactly the hardest win we have seen was it? All he had to do was follow schlecks wheel and stay within a minute or so for the TT.

 

[michaeld]

Unity and focus. They were there when he needed them. They were 100% for winning the race. No sprinters, etc.

 

[roundabout]

Clinic-Cadel-crashes

 

[hamperium]

i think its a real team of youngsters and "oldies"
the ideal mix

 

[Benotti69]

Sven Schoutteten........

 

[Arnout]

Tommy Voeckler in yellow, Contador blowing up Schlecks played a major role. Hard to say if Evans could've won without those circumstances.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The team is basically some journeymen and youngsters who are thoroughly mediocre, a bunch of people who can get some quite good placements without really threatening to win anything of any great consequence, and Cadel Evans.

This last group is the main success factor for BMC.

 

[greenedge]

I think their success comes from having a good leader, specifically gelling together and knowing each other's strengths. You do not always need a super team, Floyd in 06 Contador 10, Ulrich 97

 

[auscyclefan94]

He was the best...he won.

 

[Havetts]

Team BMC? Team Evans you mean, BMC was nowhere when totally necessary, dont tell me that those pulls between the Izoard and the Galibier reduce anything of Schlecks lead.. It was Evans who did everything and my hat off to him.

 

[mastersracer]

when was the last time a GC winner's team was not in the top 10 overall team classification? Most in recent years also won the team classification. BMC was 14th. Amaël Moinard was brought in to help in the mountains - I don't recall seeing him once in the front group on a mt. stage. An in form Contador would have taken advantage of the numerous times Evans was left isolated.

 

[hfer07]

Cadel + Ochowicz + Clinic + luck

 

[WildspokeJoe]

I think people are not giving the team the credit it deserves.

Cadel was always in the top 15-20. Close to the front but never taking wind.

His team kept him out of danger when it counted most. Marcus Burghardt and George Hincapie were I think instrumental in his win.

Plus, he was the strongest rider in the race. Isn't that the person who should win?

 

[mulletCobra]

I think people are not giving the team the credit it deserves.

Cadel was always in the top 15-20. Close to the front but never taking wind.

His team kept him out of danger when it counted most. Marcus Burghardt and George Hincapie were I think instrumental in his win.

Plus, he was the strongest rider in the race. Isn't that the person who should win?

His victory has hard fought and well deserved. But it was luck and crashes that made it possible. He did everything he could do correctly. He was the strongest rider when it counted and he won. I don't think BMC deserves much credit for this though.

 

[raymondorock]

You make your own luck

They were good on the flat and hilly stages, but Evans was just lucky not to crash. Otherwise they were as uselesss as you could expect from them. Except in the TTT of couse, a bunch of nobodies except Cuddles(and Hincapie, but how old is he now?) almost winning a TTT in the Tour. Now that was a surprise.

You can't "except" BMC's excellent TTT and say BMC has been crap. That's like saying AS is a crap rider except for stage 18, or saying Contador is a crap rider if you take away his 6 tour wins. BMC came second in TTT because they were strong, not useless. And they shown it by placing Cadel in the top 15 position in the peleton the whole tour to avoid crashes. Riding the front takes more energy due the the cross wind and the width the Peleton. They did it, kept Cadel safe and that is to their credit. Sure crashes had been a big factor, so you got to give BMC the credit for the foresight, the strength and the commitment to support Cadel 100% kept him safe.

 

[El Pistolero]

You can't "except" BMC's excellent TTT and say BMC has been crap. That's like saying AS is a crap rider except for stage 18, or saying Contador is a crap rider if you take away his 6 tour wins. BMC came second in TTT because they were strong, not useless. And they shown it by placing Cadel in the top 15 position in the peleton the whole tour to avoid crashes. Riding the front takes more energy due the the cross wind and the width the Peleton. They did it, kept Cadel safe and that is to their credit. Sure crashes had been a big factor, so you got to give BMC the credit for the foresight, the strength and the commitment to support Cadel 100% kept him safe.

VDB2 crashed out as well and he and his team were at the front the entire time as well. Plus Basso never crashed and he was never up the front like Cuddles. It was just luck that he didn't crash. If anything the contanst desire to keep Cuddles up front probably caused a lot of nervousness and crashes in the peloton...

 

[ingsve]

Several factors conspired of course.

Luck: Contador riding the Giro. Having Hushovd and Voeckler stay in yellow so they didn't need to work to defend the jersey.

Team: They finished 2nd in the TTT after all and the entire team was dedicated to helping Cadel so no distractions like sprints etc. Eventhough the team was dominating the mountains thats' usually not needed as long as you have someone to keep you out of the wind and to fetch bottles etc and Cadel had all that so didn't need to spend any energy on things like that.

Skill: Obviously Evans was better than his opponents in various ways. He was better than the Schlecks at downhills and ITT which is just as important as climbing. He was skilled enough at positioning and bike handling not to crash when a lot of other riders crashed.

Preparation: Evans was obviously better prepared than in previous years. He started his season very late by his standards and he hasn't been racing every race all season like he normally does.

I don't see other riders crashing out as a real deciding factor. The favourites were always going to be the Schlecks and Contador and they all finished. The main factor regarding opponents was Contador riding the Giro. I don't think any of the other riders would have been able to challenge Evans. Not even Gesink or VDB2.

 

[just some guy]

Several factors conspired of course.

Luck: Contador riding the Giro. Having Hushovd and Voeckler stay in yellow so they didn't need to work to defend the jersey.

Team: They finished 2nd in the TTT after all and the entire team was dedicated to helping Cadel so no distractions like sprints etc. Eventhough the team was dominating the mountains thats' usually not needed as long as you have someone to keep you out of the wind and to fetch bottles etc and Cadel had all that so didn't need to spend any energy on things like that.

Skill: Obviously Evans was better than his opponents in various ways. He was better than the Schlecks at downhills and ITT which is just as important as climbing. He was skilled enough at positioning and bike handling not to crash when a lot of other riders crashed.

Preparation: Evans was obviously better prepared than in previous years. He started his season very late by his standards and he hasn't been racing every race all season like he normally does.

I don't see other riders crashing out as a real deciding factor. The favourites were always going to be the Schlecks and Contador and they all finished. The main factor regarding opponents was Contador riding the Giro. I don't think any of the other riders would have been able to challenge Evans. Not even Gesink or VDB2.

But they would have changed the dynamic of the mountains climbs better or worse for Evans who knows

would have could have but did not.