CCC team manager Jim Ochowicz revealed his disappointment at not being able to sign Rohan Dennis for 2020.

Dennis was dismissed from his Bahrain-Merida team in September.

After successfully winning the time trial world title at the end of September, contract negotiations intensified, with CCC and Ineos being mentioned as candidates, and ties to Movistar and Trek-Segafredo were also discussed.

"We went as far as we could go. I knew it would happen," Ochowicz told Cycling News at the CCC team training camp in Denia.

"I knew I was in good shape, although nothing is until a contract is signed."

Ochowicz's offer was built on the fact that Dennis had spent four and a half seasons with the team when it was formerly known as BMC and was familiar with the environment. He also provided him with the freedom to prepare for the Tokyo Olympic time trial.

"I think we put together a good package. He's been here before, we know how to work with him, and we felt comfortable that we could help him continue to grow his skills and achieve his goals," Ochowicz said.

"He knows what we have. It's a good program and his goal is the Olympics, so we did a lot for that."

However, Dennis turned down the offer in mid-October.

"It was his decision, and I don't know exactly what the methodology was for that. It was unfortunate."

As for the 29-year-old's prospects at Ineos, he said: "It's crowded over there. They have 25 rock stars, we have six."

"I knew this would be a good place for him to settle in and get back in the race. I'm happy for him. If he is satisfied and happy with his choice, I hope it works out for him."

Ochowicz's disappointment is understandable. The additions of Matteo Trentin and Ilnur Zakarin have added depth to the roster, but Denis would not only have been a star, he would have been a time trial winner and a stage race contender.

Thus, Ochowicz describes his 2020 roster as "not complete," but still considerably stronger than 2019, when he had to build from the bottom up after half of the old BMC players left.

With a new regime and many new faces, Ochowicz said 12 months ago that he was aiming for 20 wins in 2019. Now, after just six wins, he admits that goal "might be a little high," but points to 18 second places and 15 third places. He said, "We should have won one of those, we had a good chance to be in the top 20, but we didn't."

The team has signed nine new signings for 2020. While the team still lacks a top-level sprinter, the additions of Trentin and Zakarin have strengthened the classics and stage race divisions, respectively.

Although Greg Van Avermaet has taken the top spot in the UCI one-day race standings, his only Classics victory came in the Montreal Grand Prix.

Ochowicz has called his decision to expend too many resources early in the race a "strategic mistake," but insists that next year will be different.

"We will see a lot more power from our group. The youngsters will benefit from the experience of the year. With the addition of Trentin and the improvement of the other players, the performances will go up considerably."

"A consistent performance will put us in the upper echelon at the end. I think we will go head-to-head with the best teams, no matter who they are."

As for the stage race category, CCC currently has an overall class rider in Zakarin, but despite the Russian's podium finish at the 2017 Vuelta and top 10 finishes at the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France,

"He will have a week race and will go for GC, but the Grand Tour depends on the circumstances. I am not thinking about getting on the podium. We are focusing on stage wins. That is the bigger gain. It takes the pressure off and gives me more options. If we can get on the podium, it will be different, but we won't know that until the race starts."

As for the campaign as a whole, Ochowicz is completely optimistic that 2020 will be better than 2019, but learned his lesson 12 months ago.

"I'm not going to put a number on the number of wins," he said.

"But overall, expectations are rising. We want to take a long-term view, continue to improve our quality, sign young riders, and build on our important wins."