Nationality: Australian
Date of birth: May 28, 1990
Height: 182cm
Weight: 71kg
Team: BMC Racing

Former Hour Record holder Rohan Dennis has built up a reputation as a formidable time trial specialist, but he can climb when called upon and can also turn in a strong sprint.

The 2018 season saw him lead the Giro d’Italia overall after stage two, handing him the full set of Grand Tour leader’s jerseys after previously enjoying spells in the overall race lead during the 2015 Tour de France and 2017 Vuelta a España.

Listing Bradley Wiggins as one of his inspirations, Dennis says the 2012 Tour de France winner has shown him that a rider with track and time trial talents can perform in stage races too.

After a strong start to his cycling career in his native Australia with national under-23 road race and time trial titles and a silver medal in the 2012 Olympic Games team pursuit, Dennis moved up to the professional ranks in 2013 with the Garmin-Sharp team.

Dennis took the overall win in the Tour of Alberta that year, but more impressive was his eighth place overall in the Criterium du Dauphine and the best young rider’s jersey.

In 2014, Dennis took a stage win en route to placing second overall in the Tour of California behind Bradley Wiggins, and a silver in the Commonwealth Games time trial. A rare mid-season team switch to BMC Racing took place in August.

Dennis stepped up a level in 2015, beginning the season with overall victory in the Tour Down Under, his first WorldTour win before breaking the Hour Record on February 8 – a mark subsequently beaten by Alex Dowsett and Bradley Wiggins. He then claimed the yellow jersey at the Tour de France by winning the opening time trial in Utrecht.

The start to 2016 was a little stunted, and Dennis had to pull out of both Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya due to illness. He did secure first place in the Australian National time trial (a feat he repeated in the early 2017 and 2018 Australian Nationals) and came 5th in the Olympic time trial in Rio, despite injuring his hand in a training crash ahead of the event.

2017 was another solid season, with Dennis winning a host of individual time trials and as part of BMC’s always strong team time trial line-up. He also took a noteworthy victory in the Tour of the Alps, a climbing stage that proved he is more than just a time triallist.

Major results: Tour Down Under 2015 | Tour of Alberta 2013