Vuelta a España
26-08-2009 13:01:23
This coming Saturday, Team Milram is starting at the Vuelta a Espana (August 29 – September 20 / UCI category HIS). The main focus of the German ProTour team at the traditional Grand Tour will be the hunt of stage victories. Especially sprinter Gerald Ciolek, as well as allrounders Linus Gerdemann and Christian Knees are hoped to achieve that goal on the Iberian Peninsula. The experienced trio will be supported by several hungry youngsters around Thomas Rohregger and Slovakian champion Martin Velits.
At the Vuelta, which will be starting in the Netherlands for the very first time, the team will have to make do without Fabian Wegmann. For the rider hailing from Münster, a three-week long strain over 3,292 kilometres would come too early after just having healed a back injury. In replacement of Wegmann, MILRAM rider Björn Schröder from Berlin will be pushing the pedals in Spain.
„We want to show off some attractive cycling in Spain and will be focussing intensively on stage wins,“ said Gerry van Gerwen, General Manager. „With Gerald Ciolek, we have a sprinter in our ranks whose fitness curve clearly points upwards. Linus Gerdemann is also highly motivated. In addition, we have a real mountains specialist in Thomas Rohregger, who has already shown at the Giro that he will be able to aim at the general classification in the future.” The Dutchman also has great confidence in Tour de France finisher Christian Knees. „Christian was our secret weapon at the Tour de France already. He is an important part of our team in all race situations. He, too, will help to position our young roster in the front during the decisive moments.”
Captain Linus Gerdemann is motivated as he travels to the Vuelta start in the Dutch town of Assen: “I will ride for stage wins first and foremost. My form is good and I will seek my chances from day to day. Because we have a strong squad at the start of the Vuelta, similar to the one at the Tour de France, one can expect to see us fight again. At the Tour, we proved that we always have to be counted with.”
Seven Vuelta rookies will be hunting for stage wins at the Tour of Spain for Team Milram. Linus Gerdemann, Gerald Ciolek, Christian Knees, Thomas Rohregger, Dominik Roels, Paul Voß as well as Björn Schröder will be competing at the Vuelta a Espana for the first time in their careers. For the two youngster Roels and Voß, it is moreover their first participation in a three-week Grand Tour.
Martin Velits attracted attention at the Vuelta last year by finishing eighth at the 42.5 kilometres-long individual time trial in Ciudad Real. Moreover, the Slovakian achieved another top ten placing by finishing ninth in the team time trial. Matthias Ruß started only once before at the Tour of Spain, in 2005 for his former Team Gerolsteiner, but he abandoned after stage 15.
After the prologue on Saturday and the start of the first stage in the Dutch town of Assen, the race course of the second stage will include 30 kilometres through Germany, near Emmerich on the Rhine river. On day four, the riders will cross over the Belgian border via Venlo and race over Spring Classics terrain in the direction of Liège. After the first rest day, the event finally returns home to Spanish roads some 100 kilometres south of Barcelona in Tarragona. From then on, the race heads southwards until its southernmost point at the start of stage 13 in Berja is reached - from which point it is northbound again until completing the 3,292.3 kilometres–loop in the capital of Madrid according to Spanish tradition.
The complete Team roster at the Vuelta a Espana is:
Gerald Ciolek (22 / GER / Ermatingen,SUI), Linus Gerdemann (26 / GER / Kreuzlingen,SUI), Christian Knees (28 / GER / Euskirchen), Thomas Rohregger (26 / AUT / Kramsach), Dominik Roels (22 / GER / Köln), Matthias Ruß (25 / GER / Bad Cannstatt), Björn Schröder (28 / GER / Berlin), Martin Velits (24 / SVK / Riemst,BEL), Paul Voß (23 / GER / Bielefeld)
Sports Director: Ralf Grabsch (GER), Vittorio Algeri (ITA)
