Santa Rosa, California (USA)
As it always does, the 2018 season has flown by and has now officially wrapped up which means we saw the BMC Racing Team jersey at the start line for the final time. Before we turn our attention to 2019, it is important to acknowledge our achievements this year, the final year that Continuum Sports will operate as BMC Racing Team. No two seasons are the same and after our success in 2017, we knew it would be hard to replicate that number of victories in 2018. Whilst our win tally was not as high as it has been in the past, we celebrated some very special moments throughout the year and are proud of what we achieved.
The Rainbow Jersey
After years of bad luck and crashes, Rohan Dennis was finally rewarded with the result he deserved when he dominated the UCI Time Trial World Championship to pull the rainbow jersey on for the first time in his career. A world championship is an incredible achievement and Rohan’s victory is a testament to his dedication and hard work, BMC Racing Team’s performance team, and of course, the BMC Timemachine. So, to see everything come together for Rohan this year in Innsbruck was an excellent way to end the season for Rohan and for the team.
Pink, Yellow, Red
BMC Racing Team was one of two teams to wear the leader’s jersey in all three Grand Tours this year. Rohan Dennis led the Giro d’Italia for the first time in his career and added the Maglia Rosa to his collection of yellow and red jerseys, before winning the opening time trial at the Vuelta a Espana to become the first leader of the race for the second consecutive year. Rohan’s three Grand Tour stage wins were all impressive displays of time trialing prowess and were a sign of what was to come at the end of the season.
Our victory in the stage three team time trial at the Tour de France was a season highlight. It is no secret that the team time trial is a discipline that we target, so to win at the biggest race of the year was a fantastic way to start the race. Not only did we stand on the podium as a team, but Greg Van Avermaet claimed the yellow jersey for the second time in his career and held the jersey for eight incredible days.
Time Trial Prowess
Of BMC Racing Team’s 24 victories in 2018, 17 were time trials, four team time trial wins, and 13 individual time trial wins. That number speaks for itself. Amongst the wins, Rohan Dennis, Stefan Küng, and Joey Rosskopf all secured back-to-back national time trial championships, and Tejay van Garderen won two time trials on home soil at the AMGEN Tour of California and Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.
Stage Race Success
Richie Porte continued his General Classification success with podium results at the Santos Tour Down Under, second place by the narrowest of margins, and third place at the Tour de Romandie, before going on to win the Tour de Suisse for the first time in his career which was an important victory for Richie, BMC Racing Team, and our sponsors. A strong performance from Greg Van Avermaet and his teammates saw Greg stand on the top step at the Tour de Yorkshire, and Damiano Caruso put in a great ride to finish second overall at Tirreno-Adriatico, as did Tejay van Garderen to finish second at the AMGEN Tour of California.
For the fifth consecutive year, Richie Porte delivered a stage win on Willunga Hill at the Santos Tour Down Under and Jürgen Roelandts and Greg Van Avermaet scored their first wins of the season at Volta Valenciana and the Tour of Oman respectively. Fast forward to the end of the season and Alessandro De Marchi’s persistence was rewarded with a stunning solo victory at the Vuelta a Espana, where Dylan Teuns’ determination also saw him narrowly miss a win, finishing in the top five on five occasions.
Bella Italia
BMC Racing Team’s season ended well at the Italian classics, with the race plan at Giro dell’Emilia executed perfectly to net Alessandro De Marchi the win with another solo attack, and Dylan Teuns rounded out the podium with third place. Dylan went on to sprint for third place at Il Lombardia in what was his first, of many I’m sure, podium result at a Monument. Our results in Italy ended the season on a high and showed our determination to race well until the very end of the year.
#WeRideForAndy
Lastly, but not least, the 2018 season was dedicated to the late owner of BMC Racing Team, Andy Rihs. We wouldn’t be where we are today without Andy’s passion and it was an honor for us all to race this season in his name. Continuum Sports moves in a different direction in 2019 but we will forever be grateful to Andy for his friendship and support over the past 13 years.
I want to thank the staff for their work day in, day out, to keep the team running smoothly, and our riders for being part of the BMC Racing Team family. A big thank you to all of our partners for their support throughout the year, especially BMC Switzerland, our title sponsor. We have shared many great memories since the beginning of BMC Racing Team.
Finally, thank you to all of our fans, all around the world, for supporting us on the side of the road and from home. We look forward to seeing you on the road next year. In December, we will come together as CCC Team for the first time at our pre-season camp where we will make some exciting announcements and unveil the CCC Team kit. We are excited to share the next chapter of the team with you and get the 2019 season underway.
Jim Ochowicz
General Manager
2018 key results
1st Australian National Time Trial Championship: Rohan Dennis
1st Santos Tour Down Under Stage 5: Richie Porte
2nd Santos Tour Down Under General Classification: Richie Porte
1st Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Stage 3 TTT
1st Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Stage 5: Jürgen Roelandts
1st Tour of Oman Stage 3: Greg Van Avermaet
1st Abu Dhabi Tour Stage 4 ITT: Rohan Dennis
1st Tirreno Adriatico Stage 1 TTT
1st Tirreno Adriatico Stage 7 ITT: Rohan Dennis
2nd Tirreno Adriatico General Classification: Damiano Caruso
3rd Record Bank E3 Harelbeke: Greg Van Avermaet
1st Tour de Yorkshire: Greg Van Avermaet
1st AMGEN Tour of California Stage 4 ITT: Tejay van Garderen
2nd AMGEN Tour of California General Classification: Tejay van Garderen
3rd Tour de Romandie General Classification: Richie Porte
1st Giro d’Italia Stage 16 ITT: Rohan Dennis
1st Tour de Suisse Stage 1 TTT
1st Tour de Suisse Stage 9 ITT: Stefan Küng
1st Tour de Suisse General Classification: Richie Porte
1st United States Time Trial Championship: Joey Rosskopf
1st Swiss Time Trial Championship: Stefan Küng
1st Tour de France TTT
1st Larry H.Miller Tour of Utah Prologue: Tejay van Garderen
1st Binck Bank Tour Stage 2 ITT: Stefan Küng
1st Vuelta a Espana Stage 1 ITT: Rohan Dennis
1st Vuelta a Espana Stage 11: Alessandro De Marchi
1st Vuelta a Espana Stage 16 ITT: Rohan Dennis
2nd GP Cyclise de Quebec: Greg Van Avermaet
3rd GP Cycliste de Montreal: Greg Van Avermaet
1st World Time Trial Championship: Rohan Dennis
1st Giro dell’Emilia: Alessandro De Marchi
3rd Giro dell’Emilia: Dylan Teuns
3rd Il Lombardia: Dylan Teuns
