Team News: Riders Re-Signing at BMC

BMC 2018 roster strengthened by the re-signing of Damiano Caruso, Jempy Drucker, Joey Rosskopf and Francisco Ventoso 

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Team News: Riders Re-Signing at BMC

BMC Racing Team’s 2018 roster will be strengthened by the re-signing of Damiano Caruso, Jempy Drucker, Joey Rosskopf and Francisco Ventoso, General Manager Jim Ochowicz today announced. Caruso, Drucker and Rosskopf all joined BMC Racing Team’s ranks in 2015, while Ventoso is in his first year with the team. Ochowicz said the four riders bring a depth of talent and experience to the team and have been instrumental in BMC Racing Team’s success in 2017.

Damiano Caruso

“Damiano Caruso is one of our strongest climbers and plays a key role in the team’s Grand Tour ambitions. As we saw this year, Damiano was a crucial support rider for Richie Porte throughout the year and then when the situation called for it at the Tour de France, he stepped up as our leader in difficult circumstances. Damiano is more than capable of getting his own results whether it is a Grand Tour stage win, or a strong General Classification result at a stage race, as we saw this year at the Tour de Suisse, and this kind of versatility is very important. With Damiano at their side, I think any of our riders have the utmost confidence in him,” Ochowicz explained.

Caruso, who has finished in the top ten overall the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, has enjoyed one of his most successful years including second overall at the Tour de Suisse and 11th at the Tour de France.

“It was an easy decision to re-sign with BMC Racing Team. Jim Ochowicz likes how I work and I like the team and how it works, so there was no reason to even think about changing teams. I’m happy to continue working with this team, with the riders, with the staff and the management. This year has been a good year for me and for the next year my goal will be to continue to grow as a rider. Our most important goal as a team is to win the Tour de France and I want to be a part of that. For me, it is important to support the team as much as possible and also go for my own results, like this year at the Tour de Suisse, so I’m happy I will be doing that with BMC Racing Team,” Caruso said.

Jempy Drucker

Vuelta a España stage winner Drucker (right above) has proved his speed by sprinting to stage wins at the SkodaTour de Luxembourg and VOO Tour de Wallonie this year.

“Jempy Drucker is a very versatile rider so when it comes to the Classics, time trials and sprints, we can count on Jempy. He’s also one of the best bike handlers thanks to his experience in cyclo-cross. Jempy has three wins so far to his name in 2017, including the Luxembourg national time trial championship, and as we saw at the 2016 Vuelta a España, he is capable of sprinting against some of the best riders in the world. We had our most successful classics campaign in 2017 and Jempy was instrumental as a support rider for Greg Van Avermaet so we are pleased to see Jempy extend his contract,” Ochowicz said.

“At BMC Racing Team we are provided with the best equipment in the world and with the way the team is structured, it is one of the best in the world. I am happy that we mutually agreed to extend my contract. I want to improve and get better every year. I have made a lot of progression in the past three years so I want to continue that way. I hope to play an important role again in the sprint classics and help the team try and repeat that same success that we had this year with Greg Van Avermaet as leader, and finally win the Tour of Flanders! This year I have had a few wins so I want to continue to take the opportunities I have from the team in 2018,” Drucker explained.
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Joey Rosskopf
In his third year with BMC Racing Team, Joey Rosskopf, winner of the 2016 Tour du Limousin, became US national time trial champion.

“In the three years that Joey Rosskopf has spent in BMC Racing Team he has continued to grow as a rider and has the potential to develop even further. His strength as a time trialist was validated this year when he became the US national time trial champion which was fantastic to see, particularly for us as a United States-registered team. For a team that values time trialling as much as we do, Joey is an excellent rider to have in our ranks for this discipline, but also as a support rider and someone who can get his own results, which we saw in 2016 when he won the Tour du Limousin. Joey gets the job done and he does it well, so it is great to re-sign Joey beyond the 2017 season,” Ochowicz said.

“I have been with BMC Racing Team for three years now, and I think that returning for yet another season with the team is a huge advantage. Racing with the same organization for multiple years has allowed me to feel more and more at ease with my surroundings. In addition, each year I seem to grow more confident in and affectionate towards my teammates, riders and staff alike. My improvement in time trials this year is largely due to the amount of energy the team was willing to invest in me for this specific discipline of cycling. I may not have had a meteoric rise in the sport, but in 2018 I look forward to continuing to work hard and progress as a competitor little by little,” Rosskopf added.

Francisco Ventoso
Former Spanish road race champion, Ventoso has played an important support role at many of BMC Racing Team’s victories in 2017, including Greg Van Avermaet’s victory at Paris-Roubaix.

“We welcomed Francisco Ventoso in 2016 and immediately it was clear that he is a rider who fits in very well at BMC Racing Team. Francisco brings a wealth of experience and has already played an important role in many of our victories this year. With more than a decade as a professional cyclist, he is also a very good road captain and we can count on him in any race situation, so Francisco is a great asset for us. As a Grand Tour stage winner, Francisco is another rider who will take an opportunity when it comes his way and support the team whenever possible,” Ochowicz said.

“I really like riding for BMC Racing Team. In my first year with the team I have found a really nice spirit in the group and a good atmosphere for racing. So, I’m happy to continue next year. I want to keep learning and racing, which is my passion. 2017 has been once of the most beautiful years of my career because I started at the Santos Tour Down Under winning with Richie Porte, won a lot of classics with Greg Van Avermaet, I had a really nice Giro d’Italia with Tejay van Garderen and now here at the Vuelta a España, we won the team time trial. So it has been a really nice season for me. I hope to keep getting better and better and help the team to important victories, like I have done this year,” Ventoso explained.

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