Sebastian Lang and Marcus Burghardt had to withdraw from the German team headed to the World Championships in Australia later this month. Lang suffers from problems with his Achilles tendon, Burghardt has an infection. Dominic Klemme and Paul Martens will replace the duo.
The president of the German cycling federation, Udo Sprenger, made the announcement on Thursday. “Sebastian Lang has a misaligned hip, which has caused problems with his Achilles tendon,” Sprenger told rad-net.de.
Klemme, who was disappointed to have been left out, gets his chance now. “I am really happy to make the selection and the chance that I get. Of course I am totally committed to ride for the team,” he said. “For me personally it is also a big learning process. The experiences that I can make there will surely be helpful later on.”
Klemme is currently riding in the Vuelta a Espana, where he can now have the perfect preparation for the Worlds. “If all goes well I will finish the Vuelta, then recover a few days at home, before traveling to Australia with the team.”
Klemme was in the process of finding a new home, which will have to wait now. “After the Vuelta I was going to look for a place in Freiburg. I guess I will have to complete this now via the internet and postpone the move until after the Worlds.”
Long time injured Martens had heard that some riders had to cancel their participations for the World Championship race in Australia. “Then you start to think of course and hope to get the call,” he said to rad-net.de. “But I did not really count on it. Now I feel honored. This gives me confidence.”
Martens is just returning from injury himself, so he doesn’t have the luxury to race the Vuelta. “I am doing the Belgian classics. This should give me the form to be in top condition at the start line in Australia. I will give everything for a success of the team.”
Sprenger explained the nominations. “With those two riders we chose a duo that is very good and capable of riding for the team. Dominic Klemme already proved that he is a German top rider by placing second last year and fifth this year in the German National Championships.
“The same for Martens, who unfortunately crashed heavily during the season, but who came back to form quicker than many had expected. His sixth place in the Grote Prijs Jef Scherens last weekend confirms this.“
Burghardt had a mediocre season, with the exception of the Tour de Suisse. In Switzerland, he won two stages and the points classification, but the infection further added to his season woes. He has not raced since the Vattenfall Cyclassics in Hamburg on August 15 and had to cancel his appearance in the Canadian ProTour races as well.
The German men’s team:
Bert Grabsch
André Greipel
Danilo Hondo
Dominic Klemme
Christian Knees
Paul Martens
Tony Martin
Marcel Sieberg
Fabian Wegmann