1 February 2017, Orihuela Pueblo (ESP)
BMC Racing Team put in a dominant performance over the opening team time trial in Spain to take the victory with an impressive 24-second margin and ride Manuel Senni into the first yellow jersey of Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and of his professional cycling career.
Despite a tricky, technical 37.9km course, which included one category three climb, BMC Racing Team started the day in solid form, setting the second fastest time at the intermediate checkpoint.
However, it was the team’s impressive show of strength and teamwork over the second half of the course that saw them cross the line in a blistering time of 43’17” which was more than enough to seal the victory.
Senni was the first BMC Racing Team rider to cross the finish line, and he stepped onto the podium to take the first leader’s of the five-day stage race.
Interview with Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana race leader, Manuel Senni:
Congratulations Manuel Senni! Can you describe what it was like for you and the team on the course today?
“It was a tough course and a very hard day especially in the first part of the race with that climb, but we had strong guys like Stefan Küng, Michael Schär and Alessandro De Marchi able to do a great job pulling at the front. In fact, everyone did a good job today. I came into this race late, so I was just trying my hardest to stay with them for as long as possible. In the end, I still had good legs and was able to go all the way. On the run into the finish line I was sitting at the front, so before I knew it, I had crossed the line first. There wasn’t any plan for that to happen but I am super happy about it.”
The team finished with a substantial margin, were you aware of how strong you were finishing?
“We heard that we had set the second fastest time overall behind Team Sky at the 11km checkpoint, so we knew that we had to put in some hard work over the final part of the course and we did exactly that. We put our heads down and gave it full gas to the line but we definitely didn’t expect to finish with a margin that big.”
Finally, this is the first leader’s jersey of your professional cycling career. If you had to describe how you are feeling right now in one word, what would it be?
“Amazing! It’s an incredible feeling and a super experience. We are here to do our best and give it everything to try and bring the yellow jersey to the finish whether that is with me or with someone else. We have a couple of guys who are looking strong for the GC, so I will continue to give 100% for the team and do what they ask of me over the next few days.”
Greg Van Avermaet:
“We prepared well for this TTT, and I think it was an important start as it was a good parcours and an excellent exercise for what is coming up over the rest of the race. We have a good team here, maybe not everyone is a time trial specialist, but for sure everyone did a really good job, and we had a smooth ride. I think that is very important for a team time trial like this where there really wasn’t a lot of time to settle down on the bike. I am proud of everyone. Every rider did their job, and we saw the result on the finish.”
Sports Director, Valerio Piva:
“This is a dream start to the season for us all. We prepared well for this opening team time trial, and it was the first objective of this race for us, and we achieved that, so it is fantastic. It was the performance of the whole team today that really stood out to me. We did a fantastic effort together. At the last moment Senni jumped into this race and not only did he do his very best job today he was able to take the yellow jersey. The joy today is for everyone to share and the team deserved this victory. We are happy, and we can now look to the next few days and do our best to defend this jersey.”
Race profile
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
Stage 1: Orihuela (Playa de la Glea) > Orihuela Pueblo (TTT), 37.9km
Top 3: 1. BMC Racing Team 2. Team Sky 3. Quick-Step Floors
