BMC reduce rider roster to 24 for 2018 season

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The BMC Racing Team has confirmed that it will reduce its roster from 29 to 24 riders for the 2018 season in response to the reduced team sizes in races introduced by the UCI. Men's professional teams will now start Grand Tours with eight riders instead of nine, with the maximum size of teams for one-day races down from eight to seven.

The reduction in team sizes has seen several major WorldTour squads reduce their roster for 2018. Team Sunweb recently confirmed that it will also have a 24-rider roster, down from 27. Quick-Step Floors had a 30-rider roster this season but that is set to fall to 24 in 2018.

BMC again has Paris-Roubaix winner Greg van Avermaet, Riche Porte, Rohan Dennis, Nicolas Roche and Tejay van Garderen in its line-up for 2018. New signings include Simon Gerrans, Alberto Bettiol, Patrick Bevin and Jurgen Roelandts.

Riders leaving BMC include Silvan Dillier, Ben Hermans, Daniel Oss, Amael Moinard and Manuel Senni. Samuel Sanchez's contract was terminated after he tested positive, while Manuel Quinziato has retired to become a rider agent.

"In 2018, we will reduce our rider roster from 29 riders to 24 riders, which is aligned with our race calendar and the reduced number of riders per team at certain races next year," team manager Jim Ochowicz said in an end of season announcement.

"We are saying goodbye to a number of riders who are moving on or retiring, many of whom have been with BMC Racing Team for quite a few years. I want to say thank you to these riders and wish them all the best in the coming years.

"We are excited to welcome four new riders to the team: Alberto Bettiol, Patrick Bevin, Simon Gerrans and Jürgen Roelandts. All four of these riders bring a wealth of experience and a diverse skill set to the team, so I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do in the BMC Racing Team kit. We have a strong team and we will continue to work hard to achieve our collective goals in 2018."

A successful 2017 season

BMC enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in the history of the US-registered team, winning 48 races and finishing third in the UCI WorldTour team ranking. Van Avermaet traveled to China to collect his award as the winner of the UCI Individual WorldTour ranking.

"As a team, we are proud of all 48 of our wins. This season was in some ways a year of firsts for many of our riders," Ochowicz said.

"Seeing Greg ride into the velodrome in Roubaix, after an already-stellar spring classics season, and deliver his and BMC Racing Team's first Monument win was truly impressive. Miles Scotson won the Australian Road Race Championship in his first race with BMC Racing Team, Richie Porte won the Santos Tour Down Under for the first time, Ben Hermans won his first stage race at the Tour of Oman.

"Silvan Dillier and Tejay van Garderen experienced their first individual Grand Tour stage win, and Dylan Teuns claimed his first professional win at the VOO Tour de Wallonie and then went on to win another seven more races, including the overall title at the Tour of Poland, all in a space of two months."

BMC roster for 2018: Alberto Bettiol, Patrick Bevin, Tom Bohli, Brent Bookwalter, Damiano Caruso, Rohan Dennis, Alessandro De Marchi, Jempy Drucker, Kilian Frankiny, Simon Gerrans, Stefan Kung, Richie Porte, Nicolas Roche, Jurgen Roelandts, Joey Rosskopf, Michael Schar, Miles Scotson, Dylan Teuns, Greg van Avermaet, Tejay van Garderen, Nathan van Hooydonck, Francisco Ventoso, Loïc Vliegen and Danilo Wyss.