Austrian team satisfied with Pro Tour debut

Team Volksbank is satisfied with its performance in the Deutschland Tour. Not only was it the team's first Pro Tour appearance, but the first time ever for an Austrian team in a Pro Tour race. "I am super satisfied," said team manager Thomas Kofler.

"We were very active," he said. "We recommended ourselves for next year. Also by the sponsor. The positive feedback was impressive."

He noted that "they ride a lot faster in the ProTour. Which just makes it more noteworthy, that we finished the race with all eight riders. 15th in the team ranking is not bad, we left some big names behind us.

"We knew going into the race that we wouldn't land very far forward in the overall classification. It was difficult because Gerrit Glomser doesn't do well in cool temperatures," finished Kofler.

Courtesy of Susan Westemeyer