BMC went into today's Vuelta al Pais Vasco time trial with a three-pronged attack but there was no podium spot for the American race. Tejay van Garderen ended as the team's best rider in 6th while Cadel Evans dropped from being in podium contention to take 7th.

The BMC Racing Team put two riders in the top 10 of the final standings of Vuelta al Pais Vasco Saturday on the way to winning the team classification of the six-day WorldTour race. The final stage was a 25.9-km individual time trial on a looping route that included a pair of climbs averaging six percent.

World time trial champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) secured his first victory in a time trial this season in 38:33, seven seconds ahead of race leader Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and 15 seconds better than own teammate, Michal Kwiatkowski.

Tejay van Garderen finished 1:05 off the winning time in ninth, while Cadel Evans was 11th, 1:27 back. Slovakian national time trial champion Peter Velits was 24th, 2:14 back, and just ahead of Philippe Gilbert in 25th, at 2:15. Samuel Sánchez placed 44th, 2:58 behind, and Amaël Moinard was 63rd, at 3:52. 

Contador finished with a 49-second margin over Kwiatkowski, who had been seventh overall heading into the time trial. Jean-Christophe Péraud (AG2R La Mondiale), who was fifth on the stage, rounded out the podium, 1:04 back. Van Garderen and Evans finished sixth and seventh overall, respectively, 1:56 behind Contador.

The BMC Racing Team finished 12:14 ahead of Movistar Team to earn its victory in the classification. Last year, the BMC Racing Team won team titles at seven races.

"I didn't really feel at my top level all week, but I was consistent and was able to score a nice top 10 placing and get some points, which is what is important," van Garderen said. "I didn't feel like I was in my top shape (in the time trial) but I felt OK. I just tried to do the best I could. It wasn't the best and it wasn't the worst. I came out with a decent result."

"A time trial like this is always a good test for going into the Giro," Evans said. "I approached it with that idea. As it turned out, quite a few riders had a lot better ride than I did and I conceded a few places on GC (general classification), which is disappointing.

"Overall, the week of racing comes as a really good week of race preparation. I still have a bit of work to do and some room for improvement. I need to be better if I want to be competitive at the Giro."

"It was a very demanding Vuelta this year – very hard from the first day," Sport Director Valerio Piva said. "All week, we supported our leader. Cadel is getting better and better and Tejay – after a good result in Catalunya – did well here after a small crash (before the start of the race). But we finished sixth and seventh so I am happy about that. But we can do better in the future and that is what we expect in the next race."