{"id":172008,"date":"2019-01-15T09:42:43","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T09:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=172008"},"modified":"2019-01-15T09:42:43","modified_gmt":"2019-01-15T09:42:43","slug":"ccc-team-2019-pawel-bernas-and-the-shift-from-pro-continental-to-world-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/01\/15\/ccc-team-2019-pawel-bernas-and-the-shift-from-pro-continental-to-world-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"CCC Team 2019: Pawel Bernas and the Shift from Pro-Continental to World Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the news which definitely left a mark on the 2018 season was the departure of the Swiss-based bike manufacturer BMC as the main sponsor of the BMC Racing Team. A team with a license held by Continuum Sports based in California, USA, yet very much rooted in Europe staff-wise.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a few months of hard work, roughly in mid-2018, the BMC Racing Team\u2019s general manager Jim Ochowicz found its \u2018white knight\u2019 in the Polish Multinational CCC. It\u2019s a company focused on Central and Eastern Europe, selling shoes, handbags and other accessories to a substantial customer base in Italy, Germany, and a number of other countries.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth mentioning that the founder and chairman of CCC is a Polish businessman and an avid cycling amateur who participated in and won races at various levels when he was younger, hence his previous constant support and love for the sport via the CCC Sprandi-Polkowice and now at the World Tour level with the CCC Team.<\/p>\n

Poland\u2019s First World Tour Team<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The CCC Team will be centred around the Belgian champion Greg Van Avermaet but will also include top riders such as Alessandro De Marchi (BMC Racing Team), Simon Geschke, Laurens ten Dam (both ex-Sunweb riders), and a former Team Sky member \u0141ukasz Wi\u015bniowski from Poland.<\/p>\n

So it is clear that the CCC Team is not a former Pro-Continental team moving up per se but rather the continuation of the Continuum Sports-owned team with some riders and staff making the move from CCC Sprandi-Polkowice.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
CCC Team out on a ride in a new kit.\u00a0\u00a9 Chris Auld Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For today\u2019s interview, we reached out to Polish rider Pawel Bernas, who used to be a part of the Pro-Continental\u2019s CCC Sprandi-Polkowice roster of riders, and who currently resides within the 2019 line-up. We discussed his views on the new team, the transition from the Pro-Continental level to the World Tour level, and the upcoming 2019 season.<\/p>\n

Congratulations on signing a contract with the CCC Team and thus moving up to the World Tour level. You had your inauguration camp in Denia (Spain) in mid-December. With new teammates, new support staff and management, all must have been quite exciting.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Well, right away I can say that it was super exciting, even overwhelming at the beginning, because of so many new faces, so many new people, so many names to remember. In fact, we needed stickers with our name, surname, and who we are (rider, management, staff, etc.). I think I had to say \u201cHi!\u201d like 80 times just the first day. I think that even the riders and management from the BMC Racing Team had an extra level of motivation and felt some extra good vibes and a new positive energy.<\/p>\n

After Denia, I took an 8-day break to visit my family in Poland and on the 26th of December I came back to my residence here in Mallorca because this is where I prefer to stay during the winter. I\u2019m staying here until the 13th of January. Then I will go back to Poland for one week for a quick holiday.<\/p>\n

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It was a solid hit out for @CCCProTeam on day one at @tourdownunder<\/a> \ud83e\udde1\ud83d\udda4#RideForMore<\/a> \ud83d\udcf7 @ChrisAuldPhoto<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/wyNx1jDyoQ<\/a><\/p>\n

— Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty (@IntermarcheW) January 15, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n