11 March, 2018, Santa Rosa, California (USA)
BMC Racing Team is set to line up at three semi-classic one-day races next week in Belgium and France with Danilith Nokere Koerse on Wednesday (14 March), followed by Handzame Classic on Friday (16 March), and Grand Prix de Denain on Sunday (18 March).
BMC Racing Team will be lining up with multiple cards to play across the three days of racing, Sports Director Klaas Lodewyck said.
“First of all, for Danilith Nokere Koerse we have a young team alongside Francisco Ventoso who can play a road captain role. The parcours has changed this year, and the local laps have more cobbled sections now so, I think we will have a lot of options going into the race, and everybody will get the opportunity to try to move in the final as normally it ends in a bunch sprint.”
“Then, for Handzame Classic there is also a new parcours, but we have a good group of riders with Danilo Wyss also coming in for this race. Again we will try to do something going into the final, but if everything comes back together, Danilo will be a key rider as I think he can do a good job in a bunch sprint.”
“Finally for Grand Prix de Denain, Stefan Küng will be our leader, and he is a specialist on the cobbles, and together with Nathan Van Hooydonck and Francisco Ventoso, I think he can go pretty far in this race. We will be looking to take the opportunity to go for the win, and I think Küng is in good shape and I’m sure he is motivated and ready to try to do that,” Lodewyck explained.
Wyss is looking forward to heading back to the start line at Handzame Classic.
“It has been a long time since my last race, so I will have to see how I feel on the day. I think it will be important for me to get back to riding at race pace and getting that feeling back in my legs. I feel in good condition right now though, and while this is a sort of warm up to the next part of my season, I am motivated to take the opportunity to try and go for a result,” Wyss said.
Küng is aiming to produce a good result at the French one-day race on Sunday.
“We will have to see what my condition is like coming out of Tirreno-Adriatico but initially, I am really looking forward to this race. It looks like a nice parcours, and if everything goes well and I go into the race in the shape that I want, then I will be ready to really go for it on the day,” Küng added.
Danilith Nokere Koerse (14 March)
Rider Roster: Tom Bohli (SUI), Joey Rosskopf (USA), Miles Scotson (AUS), Nathan Van Hooydonck (BEL), Francisco Ventoso (ESP), Loïc Vliegen (BEL)
Sports Director: Klaas Lodewyck (BEL)
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Handzame Classic (16 March)
Rider Roster: Tom Bohli (SUI), Joey Rosskopf (USA), Miles Scotson (AUS), Nathan Van Hooydonck (BEL), Francisco Ventoso (ESP), Loïc Vliegen (BEL), Danilo Wyss (SUI)
Sports Director: Klaas Lodewyck (BEL)
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Grand Prix de Denain (18 March)
Rider Roster: Tom Bohli (SUI), Stefan Küng (SUI), Miles Scotson (AUS), Nathan Van Hooydonck (BEL), Francisco Ventoso (ESP)
Sports Director: Klaas Lodewyck (BEL)
