Tejay Van Garderen
DOB: 12/08/1988 (25 Years Old)
Nationality: American
Race History:
TdF - 5th & Best Young Rider (2012)
24
Background:
There is no doubt in my eyes, that Tejay Van Garderen will go on to win a Grand Tour in the not too distant future and the young American is already doing his best to repair the tarnished image of American cycling, left behind by Lance Armstrong.
The American prodigy burst onto the scene in 2012, at just 23 years old by usurping BMC’s lead rider Cadel Evans and finishing in 5th position and in the process, becoming the youngest rider since Jan Ullrich in 1997 to finish in the top 5.
Unfortunately for both Tejay and BMC, the young rider from Tacoma struggled massively in last years tour and finished well down in 45th position. Pressure will inevitably be on the 25 year old to replicate the form he showed in 2012 as he leads the team this time round in place of Australian, Cadel Evans.
Strengths:
As Van Garderen gets older, his climbing ability is continuing to develop and eyebrows were raised when he got the better of Contador, Rodriguez and Quintana on a summit finish in this years Tour of Catalonia.
However, his main strength lies in the time trial with both stage races that he won last year (Tour of California and USA Pro Cycling Challenge) coming off the back of a strong performance in the time trial.
Weaknesses:
Experience can be a vital player in the race to win the yellow jersey and unfortunately for Van Garderen, he has next to nothing on this front and still has much to learn about the pressure involved with winning this prestigious event.
A race that features competitive racing for over three weeks, plus the intense media coverage the Tour de France attracts presents the perfect environment for a young rider to become overwhelmed…