Respected Australian cycling coach Dave Sanders has often acted as sounding board for Cadel Evans but admits he was surprised by the world champion's choice of new professional team.

Sanders, the Victorian Institute of Sport head cycling coach, had spoken with Evans about the 32-year-old's desire to leave Belgian outfit Silence-Lotto.

But Monday's announcement that he'd moved to BMC Racing Team - who have no guarantee of a start in the 2010 Tour de France as they don't have a Pro Tour licence - came out of the blue.

"It is a bit of a surprise, I wouldn't have predicted it," Sanders said on Tuesday.

"Possibly one of the other major Pro Tour teams, I know he'd certainly spoken to teams.

"... There's a risk factor because it's not a Pro Tour team, it doesn't get an automatic ride in the Tour de France or the (other) grand tours."

But Sanders had no doubt Evans would not have taken the plunge without being confident it will help him achieve his overriding aim, to win the Tour de France.

And he believes it will, with BMC having already signed 2008 road race world champion Alessandro Ballan and George Hincapie, who helped Lance Armstrong to his seven Tour de France victories.

"They can be a major factor that he didn't have before," Sanders said.

"He just didn't have those big hitters that could be there in the top third or the top quarter of the climb when he needed them.

"I'm sure this team would be building a team and guys who can put it together to do something serious for him."

Sanders said two-time Tour de France runner-up Evans' victory in Switzerland in September which gives him the world champion's rainbow jersey to wear next season was probably a key to the signing.

That will make him even more of a key target for organisers of the biggest three-week races including the Tour de France in July and greatly assist BMC in getting a wildcard entry.

"It would be a big boost to why they would have possibly targeted Cadel, to have a main player, a trump card who can get them rides and get them into the major events," he said.

"They quite possibly would have anyway, but it's what gets you across the line."

He said they clearly had ambitions of making a quick rise from their current Pro Continental second-tier status to the Pro Tour.

"They've obviously got a fairly healthy budget, to be able to afford these guys, Ballan and Hincapie wouldn't come cheap, Cadel certainly wouldn't come cheap, so the structure's obviously there," he said.