Team BMC announced its roster for Tour of Oman and Tour of Qatar 2012
One of the strongest sides in the 2012 season, Team BMC has announced its final squad for the Tour of Qatar and the Tour of Oman. The team has included the star Belgian cyclist Philippe Gilbert and Thor Hushovd for one of the events.
A list of eight cyclists will represent the team in Qatar, Philippe Gilbert, Thor Hushovd, Martin Kohler, Adam Blythe, Danilo Wyss, Klaas Lodewijk, Taylor Phinney and Michael Schar.
Whereas, Marco Pinotti, Michael Schär, Danilo Wyss, Alessandro Ballan, Adam Blythe, Martin Kohler, Klaas Lodewijk and Taylor Phinney will ride at the Tour of Oman for the coming season.
Gilbert mentioned that the Tour of Qatar will be an ideal break for him and it will help him achieve a good momentum for the season ahead.
The Belgian was at the top of the UCI WorldTour Individual rankings as of October 2011.
He scored a total number of 698 points, as Cadel Evans was at the second position with 574 points.
Philippe mentioned, "I like this race first because it's put on by Eddy Merckx, meaning it's well organized and perfect, it’s also good preparation for the wind and to get a good feeling with our new riders and teammates".
Some of the big names to represent the BMC Racing Team in the 2012 season include Cadel Evans, Philippe Gilbert, Thor Hushovd and George Hincapie.
Brent Bookwalter, Steve Morabito, Marcus Burghardt, Michael Schar, Martin Kohler and Marco Pinotti will also ride with the American line-up.
Five cyclists have left the team. Jeff Louder, Alexander Kristoff, Karsten Kroon, Chad Beyer and John Murphy, all have signed different teams for the season ahead.
Five-time Former National time trial champion Marco Pinotti will be seen in BMC colours for the first time at the Tour of Oman 2012.
The Italian believes that the race will be a new experience for him as there is no time trial stage this year.
He said, "We'll see how my form is at the beginning. My focus is more on the second part of the season with the Olympics and the Giro. But this will be a good measuring stick".
Team BMC’s Assistant Director believes that the event will be tougher this year. He was of the view that a top five finish at the final general classifications and a stage win will be a big achievement for the team.
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