The BMC Racing Team's roster for the 2012 Vuelta a España includes past Vuelta stage winners Alessandro Ballan and Philippe Gilbert and provides support for general classification hopefuls Brent Bookwalter and Steve Morabito. The team revealed its Vuelta line-up this morning.

According to Team BMC Racing sports director John Lelangue the three-week final Grand Tour of the 2012 season that begins with a team time trial in Pamplona on Saturday, August 18 offers his team a number of opportunities for success for two riders who normally provide important support for other riders.

"Brent (Bookwalter) and Steve (Morabito) are the guys who will be protected, but in a different way than when we bring riders like Cadel Evans and Tejay van Garderen to a big tour," Lelangue commented and further explained "In that instance, you know you are going for the podium or the top five, which is clearly not the stress or pressure here. The other guys will have individual opportunities to go for stage wins as well."

According to Morabito himself, his training in the Valais area of the Swiss Alps has built on form gained through a runner-up finish at the Tour of Austria in early July.

"I had 10 days of very good training up there," Morabito told Roadcycling.com and our mobile sister site Roadcycling.mobi. "But this Vuelta seems to be very hard with so many mountain-top finishes and so many top riders. I had a lot of fun riding for the General Classification with the support of the team in Austria, so I would like to try that in a WorldTour race too."

Four of the BMC Team's nine Vuelta participants will be participating in the first Vuelta of their respective pro careers.

Past 2008 Vuelta stage winner and race leader Ballan is coming off a victory at the Eneco Tour of Benelux on Sunday while Gilbert also led the Vuelta while winning two stages in the 2010 edition of the Vuelta.

Team BMC Racing roster for the 2012 Vuelta a España:
Alessandro Ballan (ITA), Brent Bookwalter (USA), Steve Cummings (GBR), Yannick Eijssen (BEL), Philippe Gilbert (BEL), Klaas Lodewyck (BEL), Amaël Moinard (FRA), Steve Morabito (SUI), and Mauro Santambrogio (ITA)

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete coverage of the 2012 Vuelta a Espana including video highlights (U.S. only) from all stages of this year's Vuelta.