Thor Hushovd (BMC) exchanges greetings with a man dressed as a panda at the Tour of Beijing.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Allan Peiper and Mark Renshaw catch up(Image credit: Daniel Simms)
Tejay van Garderen (BMC) enjoying his podium time(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Arnaud Demare (FDJ) and Taylor Phinney (BMC)(Image credit: Sirotti)
Allan Peiper, performance manager of BMC Racing, has called 2013 a transitional season for the US-registered team. The team combined to win a tally of 30 races this year but Peiper, who joined the management at the start of the year from Garmin, admitted that the lack of major wins in the WorldTour had been disappointing.
The team started the season in impressive fashion, winning two stages at the Tour of Qatar before Tejay van Garderen won a stage and the overall at the Tour of California in May. During that same month Cadel Evans finished third in the Giro d'Italia but both GC contenders failed to make an impression at the Tour de France with only a strong ride from van Garderen on the stage to Alpe d'Huez saving the rider's blushes.
Classics specialist Philippe Gilbert came into the season as the world champion but failed to win a major one-day race in the spring. He was virtually anonymous during the Tour but managed to pick up a stage during the Vuelta a Espana. The Tour of Poland saw the team pick up three stage wins, while van Garderen bounced back from the Tour to win the US Pro Challenge.
Thor Hushovd returned from illness in 2012 to pick up eight wins and was a consistent performer from February until October.
In this exclusive video for Cyclingnews Peiper talks about the transitional year BMC have gone through, both on the management side with the loss of John Lelangue and in the team's rider roster, too.
