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T-MOBILE TEAM UPDATE
Already the unexpected but thoroughly deserving winner of the Scheldeprijs one-day Classic in Belgium, the T-Mobile rider then proved in Dunkirk that his first victory in magenta colours in April three weeks before had been anything but a fluke.
Just 21 and in his first full season as a pro, the former track star told Giant’s website he was “more than pleased with what happened in Dunkirk, particularly the second stage win.”
“It was a really tough day, horrible weather conditions and we were riding over cobbles and badly tarmacked roads in the finale. I nearly crashed at one point.”
“So to come through that and then take a second win was especially pleasing.”
Cavendish paid fulsome praise to his team-mates, in particular Bernhard Eisel, for giving him “such amazing support in the last kilometres.”
“For the first stage win it was just me and [team-mate] Roger [Hammond], but the next time round I had the whole team behind me. That’s something I was more than pleased to see.”
Just to add to Cavendish satisfaction, the Manx fastman also secured the points jersey overall - “something that shows my consistency, that it wasn’t just one good day and then I disappeared. I’ve been up there throughout the race.”
Cavendish back-to-back victories brings T-Mobile’s global season total to 17.
Catalonia Offers Key Challenge for Rogers
Rogers will lead a T-Mobile squad containing up-and-coming British sprinter Mark Cavendish, Italian veteran climber Giuseppe Guerini and Luxemberg national champion Kim Kirchen.
“For Mark, Catalonia is an opportunity to do a lot of endurance work.” team manager Rolf Aldag told Giant’s website.
“He’s a killer on a bike, no doubt about it, but he still has to improve his overall resistance. Don’t forget he’s just 21.”
“For me, it’ll be back to business at Catalonia.” Cavendish said. “I’ve got a week’s training in Italy then I’m straight into Spain.”
“We’ll have to see what Mick [Rogers] can do there as well.” Aldag added, “but I’m also hopeful that Linus Gerdemann, who got sixth there last year, can pick up a solid result overall.”
Catalonia starts with a 15 kilometre time trial in Salou on the Meditteranean coast. However, the key day is likely to be stage five’s mountain time trial in Ordino-Arcalis, Andorra. It ends in Barcelona on Sunday 27th May.
T-Mobile’s German sprinters Andre Greipel and Gerard Ciolek will have a chance to shine in the Tour of Rheinland Pfalz this week.
Running from May 16th - 20th and starting and finishing in Koblenz, Germany normally there are at least three bunch sprints in the five-day stage race.
“We’ve got a squad here that is more than capable of supporting Gerard and Andre.” team manager Tristan Hoffman said.
“Roger Hammond, Eric Baumann and Andre Korff all raced in the Four Days of Dunkirk and gave strong, effective support for [double stage winner] Mark Cavendish.”
“This time round, I hope and expect that they’ll be doing the same.”
846 kilometres long and with no time trial, Rheinland-Pfalz has some big names amongst its winners - amongst them American Lance Armstrong.
Whilst Greipel took two stage victories last year, the last T-Mobile/Telekom winner overall was former team manager Olaf Ludwig back in 1996 - his final year as a professional bike racer.
Review: Ardnt Makes It Three Wins In A Row
En route to her third straight win - and fourth of her career - the former World Champion took back-to-back victories both in the hardest day in the mountains and the only long time trial of the Czech stage race. As if in tribute to her consistency over the years, Arndt also won this year’s points jersey
“It is an amazing acheievement.” team coach Petra Rosner insisted. “They always say that it’s not winning that’s difficult, it’s repeating those wins, but Judith has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt she’s more than up to the task.”
“This time round, as ever she knew exactly when to attack, when to make the other gc riders suffer and what kind of strategy to follow throughout.”
“What can I say? Judith is a rider in a class of her own, and it’s an honour to have her on the team.”
Second in 2006, in 2007 the Australian T-Mobile rider took third behind solo winner Lithuanian Edita Pucinskaite and Dutchwoman Marianne Vos.
For T-Mobile, it was their third podium finish in as many World Cup rounds, after Ina Teutenberg made third in the Ronde Van Drenthe in Holland and Judith Arndt took third in the Fleche Wallone in Belgium.
Already second in the Geelong Tour World Cup this March, team manager Anna Wilson explained that Wood had “not had it easy in the final break of nine that went away on the last climb.”
“Another team, Nurnburger, had three riders in that move, including Pucinskaite, so it made it exceptionally difficult to chase after she’d attacked and gone clear.”
“In any case, Oenene rode a solid race throughout and was able to get a good result. It’s pushed her up to third overall in the series, and it also shows that we’re never out of the fight when it comes to World Cup wins.”
T-Mobile Tackle Cycling’s Toughest Stage Race
Running from May 18th - 27th, the key stages for the team will be, says team manager Anna Wilson, “the opening prologue of 3.9 kilometres, the stage two team time trial, the two beyond-category climbs on stage five, and the second last day, which is equally mountainous.”
The squad will be built around German star Judith Arndt - “a former winner of the event, and more than experienced enough to know how to win it again.”
“At the same time, Ina [Teutenberg] won a couple of stages there last year, both from breaks, so we are expecting her and the other team-mates to go for stages again should the overall prove beyond Judith.”
“We’ll make an evaluation mid-race and see how it’s going in general, then take it from there - either stick to going for the overall, or concentrate on stage wins for the second half of the race. Either way, we’ll be in there looking for good results.”
21 May 2007