Richie Porte, like some great riders, will be free at the end of this season. The Australian rider is approaching the end of his current contract with Team Sky and he may be just the rider that BMC is looking for to fill out its roster and support Tejay van Garderen. But general manager Jim Ochowicz does not confirm this rumor.

"We don't talk about the terms of the contract but we're recruiting and building this team for 2017, 18, and up to 20. Our roster is almost done for next year and we'll be lucky to sign two or three new riders. We're retaining 25 riders from this year for 2016 so that only leaves a couple of spots open. What we have is the development team to draw from and that's the future of what we’re doing. We're looking for two or three more slots but we need a couple of climbers. We're not looking for a sprinter," he added.

Ochowicz did not name Porte, but explained that he wants someone with his exact talents. "Most climbers could be in that category. We have a second GC rider in Caruso so do we need another GC rider? Sometimes climbers turn into GC riders because they're good riders and sometimes they're young like Caruso. But we need climbers. There are a lot of them on the market. We're being picky and we're looking for the right one. They need to be a climber but they need to fit in personality-wise and the culture of how we race and live together."