Kiwi eyes stage win at Le Tour
A team-first approach is expected to limit Patrick Bevin’s chances of individual success at the Tour de France. But the team time trial should provide the 27-year-old with a genuine chance to win a stage in the world’s most famous bike race.
With BMC Racing Team going all in on Richie Porte’s general classification bid, Bevin will have to muck in and do some of the dirty work for the duration of the three-week race starting on Saturday; controlling the tempo at the front of the peloton, carrying drink bottles and protecting his designated leader from the wind.
That heavy load could come at a cost, particularly by the time the stage 20 time trial rolls around. But the 27-year-old, who rode the entire Tour with a broken foot last year, said he was prepared to sacrifice his own ambitions in order to help Porte, one of the leading contenders.
‘‘Absolutely. The team is 100 per cent behind Richie and my race revolves around doing that work for the team. To come in with a guy who genuinely has a chance of winning it, you’ve got to back him 100 per cent. That’s what my three weeks will involve,’’ Bevin said.
Bevin wasn’t even on BMC Racing’s long-list when he first joined the team at the beginning of the year. But the reintroduction of the team time trial, a stage which could see poor performers lose between two and three minutes, has seen him emerge as an important piece in their Tour puzzle.
Although no New Zealand cyclist has won an individual stage at the Tour, Chris Jenner and Julian Dean have both been part of team time trial successes in the past and Bevin could join that elite company if BMC Racing execute the perfect race.
‘‘It’s a stage in the Tour de France and it’s a big deal because it’s going to shape the first half of the race. That and cobble stage on stage nine are the two stress points in that first nine days so it’s important from that aspect. ’’
As a rider who thrives in the race against the clock, BMC Racing have been a perfect fit for Bevin. Already this year he has finished second in the time trial at the Tour of California and Tour of Basque Country and fifth at the Criterium du Dauphine. He was also part of the team that won the team time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico and next on the list is the super ambitious goal of winning the TT at the road world championships.
‘‘I’ve gone from top-20 to missing out on a couple of wins by a few seconds, so I’ve taken a big step up this year and a lot of that is the team’s attitude towards aerodynamic testing and equipment. It’s nice to see improvement and I don’t think I’ve maxed that out at all,’’ he said.
‘‘The world championships is my big goal for the end of the year, especially on the course this year which I think will work quite well for a rider like myself. The goal would be to win the world title, you have to aim that high.
‘‘I know the numbers aren’t far off so it’s just a matter of putting it all together on the day and delivering.’’