BMC signs Oss and Nerz for 2013 season
Reinforcements delivered for classics and grand tours
Current Liquigas-Cannondale riders Daniel Oss and Dominik Nerz will head to the BMC Racing team at the end of this year. Oss and Nerz’s signing to the US registered team will be additional firepower to the early season classics and grand tours. Oss will be on-hand during the spring classics and grand tours while Nerz is more suited to the hilly one-day and stage races.
"Daniel is qualified to ride all of the early-season classic races and any of the grand tours," said general manager Jim Ochowicz. "Dominic is more of a climber and will be equally as productive for the team in some of the Ardennes Classics, as well as the grand tours. We're happy to have them joining us for 2013," he said.
BMC signed a number of high profile riders last season in the hope of building a team capable of taking victories in the spring classics but they failed to deliver. Thankfully Alessandro Ballan’s consistency landed a couple of podium spots but for all the money spent during the transfer season, results were extremely limited.
Even with last year’s unstoppable force Philippe Gilbert and multiple Tour de France stage winner Thor Hushovd, the best the team could manage was third place at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix with Ballan and a third from Gilbert at Flèche Wallonne. While Oss is far from a prolific winner, his strength and reliability in the sprints will be a great asset to the team.
"I'm looking forward to new goals and new experiences," said Oss. "It will also be nice to reunite with two former teammates, Manuel Quinziato and Ivan Santaromita. We're all happy to be back together."
Nerz is a solid support rider for stage races and played an important part in his current teammates success at this year’s Tour de France. Nerz and Oss were a part of the Liquigas-Cannondale squad at the Tour, helping Peter Sagan to win the green jersey and Vincenzo Nibali’s third place finish.
"I'm so happy about this because I think the BMC Racing Team is the best team of the world," said Nerz. "So for me it's perfect. I hope that I can do one of the Grand Tours next year."
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