Cycling: Every beginning is difficult. This will definitely also apply to Team CCC in 2019. As the successor to the BMC team, which has been accustomed to success, the first twelve months will not be easy. Of the stars, only Greg van Avermaet remained.
BMC 2018: 24 wins & 55 more podiums to say goodbye
Since 2007, the Swiss bike manufacturer BMC has equipped and sponsored the WorldTour team led by general manager Jim Ochowicz. From the 2019 season, however, this will be over. In the future, the team will do their rounds with a Polish license under the name CCC. But the last year of the black and red team was a successful conclusion to the cooperation. A whopping 24 wins and 55 more places on the podium ensured that BMC was again one of the strongest teams of the season. The Belgians were mainly responsible for this greg van avermaet and dylan teuns, as well as the Australians Richie porte and Rohan Dennis. The entire team presented itself particularly well in the fight against the clock. Team time trials were won several times – including at the Tour de France. If Richie Porte hadn't had to give up injured in France, an even better season might have been possible. The successes of Rohan Dennis at the World Time Trial Championships in Innsbruck and Richie Porte's tour victories at the Tour de Suisse are considered to be the greatest. In addition, BMC won at least one stage in every Grand Tour.
Transfers: It's getting lonely around Greg van Avermaet
In this case, it is not worth looking at the arrivals and departures of the BMC and CCC teams. The merger left only seven drivers from BMC and five drivers from CCC. There are also eleven newcomers, including the German Simon Geschke and the Austrian Stefan Denifl. The most famous international names are certainly Serge Pauwels, Laurens Ten Dam, Guillaume van Keirsbulck and Jakub Mareczko. Besides Greg van Avermaet, Alessandro De Marchi and Michael Schär, among others, have remained from the former BMC team. From all these names alone, we can see that the team as a whole relies heavily on experience and that there are only a few winners. In order for Team CCC to be able to stay in the WorldTour in the future, some newcomers will have to be signed in the next transfer window.
We are proud to present the 2019 @CCCProTeam kit by @etxeondo_ 🧡🖤 #NewKitDay #RideForMore #HelpingRiderstoFly pic.twitter.com/Viqh4PPK6L
— CCC Team (@CCCProTeam) 14 December 2018
CCC 2019: Expectations are very low
Instead of red and black with the BMC lettering on the back, the team will start in the new season in orange with the CCC lettering. Due to the numerous transfers, it is a completely new team, although it is clearly a successor team. Accordingly, the character of the team will change significantly and it will probably appear differently than we are used to. Basically, CCC has to rely a lot more on breakaway groups because the quality of the squad is simply not strong enough to be able to wait until the end of stages. In fact, there is in person from greg van avermaet only one real winner in the team. However, the Belgian is already 34 years old and therefore probably no better. Furthermore, the terrain on which he can triumph is severely limited. In the mountains, in very hilly classics and in mass sprints, other drivers have to ensure results. And that can only be runaway victories in WorldTour races. A rapid development of the Italian sprinter Jakub Mareczko would also do CCC very well. However, the fans of this team should not expect too much in the first year.
With a touch over two weeks until the new year, it's time to put in the miles 💪🏼 #RideForMore #TrainingCamp
📷 @ChrisAuldPhoto pic.twitter.com/k7t0s45wrS
— CCC Team (@CCCProTeam) 16 December 2018