Rohan Dennis departs BMC for Bahrain
The latest news from transfer season sees Rohan Dennis sign with Bahrain-Merida as he continues to chase a grand tour win.
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There’s more transfer news breaking Thursday with Rohan Dennis going to Bahrain-Merida and Carlos Verona to Movistar.
Dennis will continue on his trajectory as a budding grand tour rider and hopes to take the next step with a move to Bahrain-Merida. After four years at BMC Racing, the Australian will give Bahrain-Merida another option in its grand tour aspirations.
“We believe his ability to race in the general classification of grand tours is where we want to invest, and we are all very excited to be able to work together,” said team manager Brent Copeland. “His enthusiasm and exciting way of racing will definitely bring something special to the team.”
Dennis, 28, is already among the best time trialists in the peloton, with several big wins on his palmares. He’s hoping to develop that motor into a grand tour weapon. This year, he rode to 16th overall in the Giro d’Italia after winning a stage and wearing the pink jersey for four days.
Dennis said the team’s commitment to his GC ambitions was key to agreeing to the two-year deal.
“The organization has been upfront and honest about their plans and objectives for me the entire time,” Dennis said. “I’m looking forward to working with a team that is going to invest in my future and I am very keen to see what we can achieve together.”
Dennis’s move is the latest exodus as BMC Racing closes shop at the end of the season. The team will merge with CCC-Sprandi-Polkowice next year to stay in the WorldTour, but so far, only Greg Van Avermaet and Guillaume Van Keirsbulck have been officially confirmed for the new-look team.
Several other BMC riders have already secured their respective futures. Alberto Bettiol and Tejay van Garderen are both heading to EF Education First-Drapac. Damiano Caruso and Dylan Teuns are also linked to Bahrain-Merida. Danilo Wyss has penned a two-year deal with Dimension Data while Belgian rider Loic Vliegen is moving to Wanty-Groupe Gobert. Australian veteran Simon Gerrans confirmed his retirement this week.
In other transfer news, Spanish rider Carlos Verona is moving to Movistar on a two-year deal. The 25-year-old turned pro young and already has seven WorldTour seasons under his belt. Verona is the first confirmation for Movistar for 2019 and will be tapped as an all-round worker for the team in the grand tours.