Tour de Pologne: Teuns, Hermans lead BMC's GC aspirations
Dennis and van Garderen return to racing at WorldTour stage race
BMC Racing will field a multi-pronged GC squad at the Tour de Pologne headlined by Tour de Wallonie winner Dylan Teuns and Ben Hermans. Rohan Dennis and Tejay van Garderen add depth and winning experience for the seven-stage race as both riders embark on part two of their 2017 seasons.
Hermans, the Tour of Oman winner, will aim to improve on his 15th place from 2016 at the Tour de Pologne. The in form Teuns, a double stage winner on the way to Tour de Wallonie success, will be Herman's understudy as sports director Max Sciandri explained.
"One of our main objectives going into the race is to try and do well on the General Classification, and I think Ben Hermans can step up to the role of team leader as well as Dylan Teuns, who is going to come into the race in good condition after his overall win at the VOO Tour de Wallonie," Sciandri said. "We will also look to try and take opportunities to go for stage wins with some of our other riders like Rohan Dennis and Tejay van Garderen. We have a strong, aggressive team and I believe that we can go in looking to bring home as much as possible."
Hermans hasn't raced since the Belgian nationals in June, where he claimed third in the time trial, but explained he is eager to test his legs after his break on a new parcours.
"This will be my first race after a few weeks of solid training. It will be a good test to see how my form is at the moment, but I am always motivated to do more than just that at this race," Hermans said. "Over the last few years, I have shown that this race suits me, so I am really motivated to go for a nice result again. The parcours has changed a bit, especially as it is missing the time trial, and because of this, we have to see how we change tactics. But, it is clear that the final two stages are the most important."
While Hermans, Dennis, and van Garderen are unsure of their current form with over a month's break from racing, Tuens is in top form and condition. The 25-year-old explained he is hoping to carry his winning form into Pologne and assist the squad in GC success.
"Winning two stages and taking the overall victory at the VOO Tour de Wallonie was amazing. I felt really strong all week so I think I can go into this next race with a lot of confidence. I am really motivated to build upon my success in Belgium so we will see what happens as the race progresses."
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Although there is no time trial at the Tour de Pologne in 2017, chrono specialists Dennis and van Garderen are both capable of shaking things up when the roads head uphill and will be key riders for BMC. Samuel Sánchez has also been selected and adds further firepower to the team line up.
Dutchman Floris Gerts and Italian Daniel Oss are arguably the only riders unable to ride for GC at the race and will be riders for the flat stages to shepherd their teammates out of trouble.
The 2017 Tour de Pologne starts July 29 in Kraków and concludes August 4 in Bukowina Tatrzanska.
BMC Racing for the Tour de Pologne: Rohan Dennis, Floris Gerts, Ben Hermans, Daniel Oss, Samuel Sanchez, Dylan Teuns, and Tejay van Garderen.