A desperate defense on the Old Willunga Hill ensured Rohan Dennis a privilege of lining-up at the Tour Down Under ultimate stage on Sunday as a race leader, clad in the ochre jersey. An undeniable fact that the 23-year old rider from Adelaide wasn't the strongest climber of the event certainly doesn't make his effort less impressive, but emphasizes his ability to see and seize opportunities when they arrive. A memory of the 2015 edition of the Australian WorldTour event will have a bittersweet taste for BMC Racing team, as they might have found their next Grand tour contender while bidding Cadel Evans farewell.

“Losing Cadel is a void we cannot fill overnight,” BMC Racing performance director Allan Peiper said. “Sporting wise, we’ve worked on the future to replace him, so maybe we need to move our goals into other races with younger riders, while waiting for other GC riders to come along.”

“He’s got everything to be a grand tour rider. He’s an angry young man,” Peiper said. “You need that tenacity as a rider. It’s not kindergarten. It’s war when you go to a race, and you need to be strong to rise above that adversity. They’re all good signs.”

An extremely rare mid-season transfer which saw Dennis leaving Garmin-Sharp to join BMC last August paid of quickly for his new squad, as the 24-year old Australian strongly contributed to their slightly unexpected success in the World Championship team time trial, and despite finishing only fifth, impressed with his individual ride against the clock.

Reuniting with Allan Peiper, earlier responsible for Dennis' progress at Garmin, was cited as a main reason for that change and apparently BMC performance director indeed has all the keys when it comes to the 24-year old Australian.

Appointed to attempt breaking the Hour Record in February, the runner up in recently held national championships in individual time trial lined-up at the Tour Down Under in a decent disposition, but expected to support Cadel Evans in the last WorldTour race of his career. And yet, thanks to his killer instinct rather than pure luck, cunning Australian created a situation which moved him into a pole position in the event and ensured him support of the American WorldTour team.

Following his gutsy ride in the third stage of Tour Down Under – not exactly in line with tactics decided by his squad, Dennis insisted that his older and way more experienced countryman remains a real BMC leader. One night spent in the ochre jersey was enough to change his mind, however, and ignited even more willpower in the versatile Australian to fight for his first victory in the WorldTour event.

A willpower and fighting spirit might be key words explaining his current leadership in that event, as the 24-year old from Adelaide held on to a 2-second advantage on the Willunga Hill battling Richie Porte - certainly a better climber reportedly in a form of his life, but lacking a spark to turn his potential into a real advantage.

It only confirms how difficult it is to find a rider with both physical and mental capabilities to become a serious Grand Tour contender, and so it comes as no surprise that BMC has big plans for the versatile Australian, already penciled for his possible Tour de France debut.

“We’re not going to throw him into the Giro this year,” BMC general manager Jim Ochowicz told VeloNews Friday morning. “After his hour record attempt, he’ll step back a bit, and we’ll ease him back into racing with some stage races. We’ll see about the Tour, but he’s on our long list.”

“Rohan is a huge talent. He can do it all,” Ochowicz said. “We’re excited to see how far he can go. It’s not easy finding GC-caliber riders. Not a lot of riders can climb and time trial. And he likes to talk. He’s definitely not shy.”

“He’s an exciting prospect,” Peiper said at a BMC camp last month. “He’s one of those riders who seems to get better every day in a stage race. He seems to have that rare ‘de grande classe’ that is hard to find. He’s got everything to become a grand tour rider.”