Team BMC Racing Fires Two Bullets Aimed at Paris-Roubaix Victory
Road cycling legend George Hincapie and former world champion Alessandro Ballan will lead Team BMC Racing in the 2011 Paris-Roubaix and are ready to battle for victory till the bitter end.
Road cycling legend George Hincapie and former world champion Alessandro Ballan will lead Team BMC Racing in the 2011 Paris-Roubaix and are ready to battle for victory till the bitter end.
Alessandro Ballan has two third place finishes (2006, 2008) in his Paris-Roubaix race file, while George Hincapie counts a memorable second (2005) and two fourths (1999, 2001) among his impressive seven top 10 placings in 15 starts.
"Our team is strong and we've had a good run at the classics so far," Hincapie told Roadcycling.com and our mobile sister site Roadcycling.mobi.
"We've been knocking on the door for a victory for a while, so hopefully we'll have the luck and a great Paris-Roubaix," Hincapie added.
Team BMC Racing sports director John Lelangue anticipates dry conditions for the 258-kilometer classic, which includes 27 cobblestone sections this year. "It will be a good elimination race," Lelangue stated and added "We have shown we have a strong team so we can be confident."
Team BMC Racing decided not to include two-time U23 Paris-Roubaix winner Taylor Phinney in its Paris-Roubaix line-up because this is Phinney's first year as a pro road cyclist and because Phinney has been troubled by multiple injuries (crash, injury) in the first months of the 2011 season.
Team BMC Racing 2011 Paris-Roubaix roster:
George Hincapie (USA), Alessandro Ballan (ITA), Marcus Burghardt (GER), Alexander Kristoff (NOR), Manuel Quinziato (ITA), Michael Schär (SUI), Danilo Wyss (SUI), Simon Zahner (SUI).