Reigning Australian national time trial champion Richie Porte will be part of the BMC Racing Team for the 2016 season, President/General Manager Jim Ochowicz announced Saturday.

 

"We officially welcome Richie to the BMC Racing Team," Ochowicz said. "Richie's addition to our roster for next year adds extra muscle and a wealth of experience. It also gives us the chance to separate and/or unite our strategies and goals as we see fit throughout the season."

 

30-year-old Porte has won nine races this season, including the overall titles at Paris-Nice, the Giro del Trentino and Volta a Catalunya, but failed to shine in the Giro d'Italia as cycling analysts and fans expected him to do. Ranked fifth in the UCI WorldTour rider standings, he most recently helped Chris Froome (Team Sky) win the 2015 Tour de France.

 

Porte said he could not pass up another opportunity to be part of a team that has featured another Australian, 2011 Tour de France champion and past world road cycling champion Cadel Evans, the past five seasons.

 

"I was close to coming to the BMC Racing Team four years ago when I chose to join Team Sky," Porte explained. "This time, it was a hard decision, but the right decision. Obviously, Cadel (Evans) left his legacy with the team. When he was racing, it was almost like it was partially an Australian team. There were always so many Aussies at the races with BMC caps on. With them still having Rohan Dennis and Campbell Flakemore, who is from Tasmania like me, the team still does have a fairly Australian flavor."

 

According to Porte, his main objective for the 2016 racing season is to keep winning races. He sees no problem with joining a team, which already has a strong leader in Tejay van Garderen.

 

"I want to win races like Paris-Nice and Volta Ciclista a Catalunya again and I think next year at the Tour de France, why not have Tejay van Garderen and me there? We get along well," Porte explained. "It is exciting for me to be going to a team where I am going to have so many opportunities for myself to win races."

 

BMC Racing Team declined to disclose any further terms of the contract between Porte and the team.