Phinney settles into support role at BMC

The 21-year-old has started his season slightly earlier than last at the Tour of Qatar this week riding alongside new teammates in former UCI No.1 Philippe Gilbert and 2010 world champion Thor Hushovd.

Phinney joined BMC as a neo-professional last season and again calls Tour de France champion Cadel Evans as well as George Hincapie colleagues in 2012.

“I was a little bit unsure as to how everyone would get along last year when they were hiring everybody but it’s been a pleasant surprise,” Phinney told Cycling Central.

“Gilbert’s like a little kid in a fun, playful way, not in a bad way, which also makes him approachable and you can talk to him. At team camp he’s picking up oranges and throwing oranges at everybody.

“I roomed with George at team camp.

"I’ve been on a team with him for a year and I never really got to know him. He’s not like me, he’s not always talking and very extroverted, he’s reserved and pretty quiet but when you break him out of that shell he’s hilarious.

“I’m not sure how much longer he’ll be around in the sport but I’m happy this year we’ve struck up this friendship early.”

Phinney entered the senior ranks last year with a renowned cycling pedigree and a scroll of prestigious under-23 victories to match.

It was perhaps not the pro debut he had envisaged or that the media had previously hyped. The 2010 under-23 time-trial world champion struggled with injury at the start although by no means had a bad season.

He was second in the Tour of Romandie prologue in April and notched top 10 stage results at the Tour of California in May. In August he opened his season account winning the prologue at Eneco Tour and had a stint in the leader’s jersey before finishing fourth overall and second in the points classification.

Phinney made his Grand Tour debut later that month at the Vuelta a Espana where he finished fifth in the stage 10 individual time-trial before purposefully withdrawing three days later. He made his senior debut at the world championships in Denmark in both the time-trial (15th) and road race (24th) shortly afterwards before concluding the season at Paris-Tours.

“I kind of thought of myself coming into the pros as somewhat of a team leader and I know the team sort of thought that as well,” he said on reflection.

“I struggled in the early season to find my rhythm and once I did I was able to do well in some races.

“I’m more at a level where I can help somebody else, for example Thor, who is a very accomplished sprinter, win some races. I’m excited that I’m kind of, not taking a step back but in a way finding more of a support role and being more of a helper this year.

“I’m a lot stronger this year, mentally, than I was last year so results will come but there’s still a lot of learning to do.

“Everybody else who’s 21 years old and not Peter Sagan is in a support role. For me, that’s kind of where I feel like I should be and that’s where I’m going to be.”

Phinney will continue his season at the Tour of Oman starting next week with Het Nieuwsblad (February 25), Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (February 26) and Paris-Nice (March 4-11) also on the program.

He has aspirations to race both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix but is aware he will need to prove himself in order to be a part of BMC’s spring campaign.

“There’s a weird pressure with being a first-year as a pro,” Phinney said.

“If I were here last year I’d be nervous and jittery as the first race of the season but right now I’m totally relaxed which, for me, is vital to doing well. I’m definitely going to try and showcase what I can do in the next races.

“The main goal is to make the classics teams and be strong enough to be on those teams,” he continued.

“With the amount of leaders that we have we need support (riders) so I’ll definitely be one of those support roles, there trying to help the guys out and I’m excited for that. I know I have a long career (ahead) and I don’t need to come out of the gate with giant results.”

Whilst Phinney is content assisting teammates he will also have his own opportunities with BMC this season.

After April Phinney will prepare for his first Giro d’Italia in which he is hopeful of not only finishing but figuring.

Teammate Hushovd is focused on stage wins and a stint in pink at the Giro but Phinney could be the first to wear the maglia rosa with his sights firmly set on success in the 8.7km prologue in Herning.

“I am confident in my ability to win that time-trial; not in like a cocky way just in a way that I know that I have it in me to win that first stage,” he said.

“For me to be able to win a pink jersey in the Giro would be really, really special and I know that I can do it. It’s all down to me and whether or not I prepare for it right, which I plan on doing.

“If I can make it through the Giro I think aiming for a Tour spot in 2013 is going to be the goal.”

Twitter: @SophieSmith86

Sophie Smith is in Qatar as a guest of Amaury Sport Organisation