Silvan Dillier had a great 2015 season that allowed him to take his first pro win in the individual time trial race at the Sweiss Championships. He confirmed his good legs at the Arctic Race of Norway. The BMC Racing rider finished 2nd overall behind Rein Taaramae (Astana Pro Team) and won the final stage. He also won the team time trial at the World Championships with his team in Richmond, United States.

Interviewed by Café Roubaix, he told about his 2015 season. "I’m really happy with 2015. I was the whole season on a high level, I was really strong from the beginning, rode a Grand Tour and an excellent second half of the year, and that’s satisfying", he explained. "It was very important that I could complete a three-week race, as this experience was quintessential in improving my “engine”. The Giro d’Italia was a big challenge and I was very curious how I can manage and finish it. I was really surprised how good I came out of it, and this eventually weight a lot for the second half of the season."

His victory in the north of Europe is his best moment of the season. "The World Champion title in the team time trial was pretty big, but personally the victory I got in the last stage of the Arctic Race of Norway was very important, because I proved that I can win a race by myself."

In 2016, his main goal will be the one-day races, particularly the spring classics. "First of all, (my goals will be) the Ardennes Classics, as I want to get a nice result there. Then, hopefully, I’ll do the Giro d’Italia again, followed by the Tour de Suisse. I’d like to win a stage in one of these races, or even in both. It would be really great.

"During my first two years with BMC, I did a couple of Classics, hilly and cobbled ones as well, and from all these I really love Milan-Sanremo and Amstel Gold Race. For this reason, in the future I’ll try to win those two events."

Dillier added he would like to ride on the track in 2016 too. "The only tricky part will be to have a good planning, so it will be important to work really close together: the coach from the track team, the coach from the road team and the BMC management. I already have the program for the first months of 2016 layed out: I will start my season a little bit later than I did in 2016, in February, at the Dubai Tour, then head back to the track for the World Championships in London, and afterwards I will target the Ardennes Classics.

"Racing in Switzerland in front of the home crowd was unbelievable, and it will probably go down as one of the best moments of my career. The team was superb and really strong on that day, and to get the silver medal was amazing. We celebrated it together with the public as we’d have won the European title."