Intro:

BMC's Greg van Avermaet and Tejay van Garderen spoke in Utrecht on Friday ahead of the first stage of the 2015 Tour de France on Saturday.

Script:

SOUNDBITE (English) Tejay van Garderen, BMC team:

"It is going to be a hard race, but it's going to be a marathon. The tour is not won in the first week or in the second week, it's going to be won, maybe, on Alpe d'Huez (Stage 20). The trick is just consistency and I think that's one of main strong suits, so if I can just stay strong throughout I think, by the end, I think I have a good shot."

SOUNDBITE (English) Greg Van Avermaet, BMC team:

"For me the most important part is a first part, I think. We will see how it goes, it's important to take Tejay (van Garderen) in a good position through the mountains. The first week is good for me, we pass the first time (during a) real stage through Belgium, that's the first time for me. So that's really a stage I look forward to. Maybe not the best finish for me, but I will try there also. And then for sure the cobble stage at La Havre, maybe, and Britannia. Also important for the team is the team time trial, so there are a lot of chances and hopefully we can do good there."