Rohan Dennis can win a Grand Tour, insists Cadel Evans, if he can master the mountains

CADEL Evans believes Rohan Dennis can win a Grand Tour, but warned it could take eight years for the time trial sensation to transform his body.

Tour de France - Stage 21 - Sevres to Paris, Champs-Elysees. Australian Rohan Dennis riding for BMC rides down the Champs-Elysees with the Arc d'Triomphe in the background. Photo Sarah Reed.

CADEL Evans believes Rohan Dennis can win a Grand Tour, but warned it could take eight years for the time trial sensation to transform his body.

Dennis was crowned the Australian cyclist of the year after a 2015 season that saw him win the Tour Down Under, break the world hour record and wear Tour de France yellow after unleashing the fastest time trial the race has seen.

The 25-year-old, who started his career on the track and won Olympic silver in the team pursuit, has declared his ambition is to win a grand tour on the road.

Evans said track-turned-Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins had proven it could be done, but stressed Dennis faced a mammoth task getting his climbing form to the level necessary contend at the Tour, Giro d’Italia or Vuelta a Espana.

“A grand tour, that’s a big ask and it’s going to depend on Rohan,” Evans said.

“For a guy to make that bigger change physically and mentally, there’s a lot of work behind that. Brad (Wiggins) went and did that, but he did it once and now he’s gone back to the track because it consumed a lot of him to take that step.

“I won’t say Rohan can’t win the Tour de France, but the question is ... is he willing to sacrifice maybe a 6-8 years to do it? Or does he stay focused on the stage races he’s already winning like the Tour Down Under, the prologue at the Tour the hour record, which are fantastic objectives in their own right.”

Asked where the next Australian Tour de France winner will come from, Evans said: “I’d like to think someone will come up in between the generation of say, Robert Power and Richie (Porte). Robert’s (knee) injury is not the be-all and end-all.

“Jack Haig is going to be interesting to watch. I’m not going to put expectations on him, but he certainly has a lot of talent.”

Dennis was yesterday revealed as a member of the BMC team set to compete in Evans’ one-day Great Ocean Road Race, joining Orica-GreenEDGE pair Simon Gerrans and Caleb Ewan as starters.

Nine world tour teams have confirmed their attendance. Team Sky, Katusha, Lotto-Soudal, Trek Factory Racing, LottoNL-Jumbo, IAM Cycling and Dimension Data — which will almost certainly include new signing Mark Cavendish — are also ready to contest the January 31 event.

It’s understood Cavendish, a former world champion and winner of 26 Tour de France stages, is keen to start his season in Australia.

“We’re in discussions with every top rider in the world in the hope they’ll come here,” Evans said.

“I know (world champion) Peter Sagan is down for Argentina so we won’t have a rainbow jersey that’s for sure, but for the rest is still open. Some will still be finalising their programs for next year.”