All-in for Richie Porte: A closer look at BMC's Vuelta a Espana team

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Fun and frolics for BMC's Richie Porte and Edward Theuns of Trek-Segafredo(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

As Richie Porte crashed out of the Tour de France on stage 9 for the second year in a row, his – and his BMC team's – thoughts immediately turned to recovering in order to race the Vuelta a España, as well as to mount a serious bid on winning the rainbow jersey at the world championship road race in Innsbruck, Austria, on September 30.

Porte has what is arguably his best chance yet to win a Grand Tour, arriving at the Vuelta 'fresh' from having recovered from crashing out of the Tour de France at the end of the first week. He has little experience of riding the Vuelta, having taken part just once – compared with eight Tours de France – but the tough climbing stages will suit him down to the ground, and if he's recovered fully from his injuries, Porte has to be considered a favourite for a podium place, if not his first Grand Tour win.

Dennis has to be considered the favourite to take the first red leader's jersey at the 2018 Vuelta at the conclusion of the race's 8km opening stage in Malaga, run as an individual time trial. Despite the Australian's desire to change from reliable time triallist to slimmed-down possible Grand Tour winner, the 28-year-old still has what it takes against the clock – the proof being four victories this season, all in time trials, from the Australian national championships to stage 16 of the Giro, via TT wins at the Abu Dhabi Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico.

Rosskopf is another rider who has extended his contract with the team in its guise as CCC, or whatever it is to be named. Team manager Jim Ochowicz has described the American as "an incredibly talented rider who often flies under the radar because of his selflessness and professionalism when it comes to supporting his teammates". In other words, the kind of rider you want on your side if you're Richie Porte at the Vuelta, while Rosskopf will get the opportunity to ride for himself during the stage 1 and stage 16 time trials, if he's feeling frisky. This season, after taking his second US national time trial title in Knoxville, Rosskopf went on to finish second to BMC teammate Tejay van Garderen at the Tour of Utah prologue, and will relish riding his second Vuelta.

Teuns really burst onto the scene during the 2017 season, when the Belgian won the overall titles at the Tour de Wallonie, the Tour de Pologne and the Arctic Race of Norway, with stage wins at Wallonie and Pologne, and two stage wins in Norway. While he was unable to defend his title at this year's Pologne, the 26-year-old Belgian did manage to finish fifth overall, having finished second to overall champion Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky) on two stages along the way. He could be coming into form nicely for the third Grand Tour of his career, and is certainly one to watch for the future in three-week races, if he doesn't already break through at this Vuelta. Bahrain-Merida certainly think so, where he's signed up to ride for the next two seasons.

The ever-reliable Bookwalter is in his 11th season with BMC, and is the team's longest-serving member, having been with them since 2008. And, rather than slowing down, the 34-year-old American is still showing the younger members of the team the way by being part of the winning team time trial team at this year's Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, and finishing third in the US time trial championships in June, before finishing second on the final stage of the recent Tour of Utah to overall winner Sepp Kuss (LottoNL-Jumbo). BMC team leader Porte knows that in Spain he'll be able to count on Bookwalter, who has eight Grand Tour starts – and finishes – in the bank.

After six seasons with Movistar, Ventoso switched to BMC for the 2017 season. A prolific winner in his earlier years, with 27 pro wins to his name between 2004 and 2012 – including the 2010 Paris-Brussels – Ventoso has mellowed into more of an all-rounder in recent years, and is as at home helping out in the Grand Tours as he is in the one-day Classics. The 36-year-old will be tasked with doing much of the grunt work on the front of the bunch if Porte finds himself leading the race, and it's always good to have a Spanish rider on your side during the Vuelta, too.