Bicycles and wheels by the dozen were hanging in neat rows Wednesday in a 40-foot van that for the next two weeks will be BMC Racing's command central for the Amgen Tour of California.
Teardrop-shaped time-trial helmets were ready for loading, and mechanic Ian Sherburne was prepping one last bike for the eight-day race.
"We are 90 percent ready," said Gavin Chilcott, co-owner and chief operating officer for the team, which is sponsored by Swiss bikemaker BMC and headquartered in a Santa Rosa industrial park.
The team is one of 16 that will be at the starting line Sunday in downtown Santa Rosa. In a competitive world where the best international teams will spend $20 million annually, BMC has risen to the top tier, winning the Tour de France last year in its first year as an elite Pro Tour team.
A framed yellow jersey autographed by tour winner Cadel Evans hangs on the office wall.
Defending that title is paramount and BMC is putting together a team that should be even stronger, Chilcott said.
Cycling is a Euro-centric sport famous for the grueling tour across France, but to those rooted to Santa Rosa, there is also the Tour of California to win, which Chilcott admits would carry some personal satisfaction.
"It appeals to every rider to have a race going on their roads," said Chilcott, a Santa Rosa native and former professional racer who founded the team in 2006 with BMC as its sponsor.
The team fielded eight riders, with a support staff of 15 that includes mechanics, physical therapists, a doctor, public relations person, drivers and a sports director.
The command-post truck carries 40 bicycles and 120 carbon-fiber wheels, with three road racing bikes and two aerodynamic time-trial bikes for each rider.
The bikes, weighing a maximum of 15 pounds, would cost $7,000 to $8,000 at a specialty bike store.
For the race, each is adjusted to an individual rider's specifications, from the angle of the handlebars to the thickness of the seat padding.
"The differences are small between winning and losing," Chilcott said. "We debated over aerodynamics early in one year and then won a stage by .03 of a second."
Besides the van, there is a recreational vehicle for riders and staff, a smaller trailer for additional equipment, two cars that will be in the race-day caravan following the riders and four others outside.
The extent of the equipment and size of the entourage is common for all of the top teams.
"It's a big production," Chilcott said.
You can reach Staff Writer
Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@pressdemocrat.com.
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