The German Milram team is pinning their hopes on Linus Gerdeman this Wednesday when Tirreno-Adriatico, the first serious test for their general classification leader, is set to begin. The Italian race will see the peloton take in 1,247 kilometers, and is one of the big early-season targets for the ProTour team.
The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) left Team Milram off the invite list to Paris-Nice this year, which began yesterday. The news was bad for Germany's only ProTour team, as they are tasked to replace the Milram sponsorship which ends this year. The ASO also organizes the Tour de France, and said at the time that Milram will be included in all of their other events.
"Tirreno-Adriatico is the first highest-ranked stage race for us in Europe this year," explained Christian Henn, who together with Vittorio Algeri will direct Team MILRAM in Italy. "So it is a very important race to which we will send a strong team. We expect many small, nasty closing climbs. To win a stage, you have to be able to sprint uphill in the finale in a leading group. We are well prepared for that and have various possiblities with our team."
Gerdemann, 27, has had a good start to the season. He topped the podium on the third day of the Mallorca Challenge races, breaking clear on the Col du Soller with Rafael Valls (Footon-Servetto) and Manuel Vazquez (Andalucia-Cajasur) and then outsprinting them to win the Trofeo Inca.
There will be no individual time trial in the 45th edition of the "race between the seas" for the first time in five years. Instead, at 243 kilometers, the peloton will see the longest Tirreno-Adriatico stage in 20 years on the race's fourth day. The event will offer opportunities for the sprinters, but also gives the overall contenders enough climbing to distance themselves from the fast men.
Milram's captain Linus Gerdemann crashed in Tirreno-Adriatico's individual time trial in 2008 with the overall victory in his grasp. The German sustained a broken femur which took away Gerdemann's chance to ride the Tour de France that year. He came back to the Italian race last year and finished seventh overall.
Team Milram roster for Tirreno-Adriatco:
Markus Fothen (GER/Neuss), Johannes Fröhlinger (GER/Freiburg im Breisgau), Linus Gerdemann (GER/ Kreuzlingen,SUI), Servais Knaven (NED/Meerle,BEL), Christian Knees (GER/Euskirchen), Roy Sentjens (BEL/Nerpeelt), Niki Terpstra (NED/Haarlem), Fabian Wegmann (GER/Freiburg im Breisgau)
Directeurs Sportif:
Vittorio Algeri (ITA), Christian Henn (GER)
The stages:
10.03. 1. Etappe: Livorno - Rosignano Solvay (148 km)
11.03. 2. Etappe: Montecatini Terme - Montecatini Terme (165 km)
12.03. 3. Etappe: San Miniato - Monsummano Terme (159 km)
13.03. 4. Etappe: San Gemini - Chieti (243 km)
14.03. 5. Etappe: Chieti - Colmurano (234 km)
15.03. 6. Etappe: Montecosaro - Macerata (134 km)
16.03. 7. Etappe: Civitanova Marche - San Benedetto (164 km)
Total distance: 1.247 km