Gilbert, Van Avermaet and Velits on the road in Dénia
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Philippe Gilbert and the rest of the team take a break(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Philippe Gilbert and Martin Kohler talk while out riding(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Philippe Gilbert riders in the middle of the group(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Michael Schär and Steve Cummings (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Philippe Gilbert hopes to return to form in the Classics this season(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Peter Velits in his new team kit(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
BMC team out training in Spain(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
BMC get the training miles in(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Max Sciandri and Valerio Piva talk to Philippe Gilbert(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Michael Schär and Steve Cummings(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Philippe Gilbert(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
BMC Racing Team is at its traditional winter base in Dénia, Spain for its first training camp of 2014, where Philippe Gilbert is among the riders steadily building towards their first races of the new year.
The former world champion Gilbert seems happy to prepare quietly for the new campaign. Over the past two seasons, Gilbert has been out in Australia for the Tour Down Under at this time of year, but a big change to his calendar means a later start for the Belgian, whose first race will be the Tour of Qatar.
Peter Velits made his first appearance on the bike in BMC colours. Velits switched to the American team this winter, arriving from Omega Pharma-QuickStep. New lead Directeur Sportif Valerio Piva was also on hand. The Italian was brought in from Katusha to replace John Lelangue, who left the team shortly after last year's Tour de France.
A number of riders are already in Australia for the first WorldTour race of the season, including Cadel Evans, who hasn't raced there since 2010. New signing Darwin Atapuma is in Argentina with Taylor Phinney and Thor Hushovd for the Tour de San Luis, which gets under way on January 20.
For a picture gallery from BMC's training camp, click here.
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