A pensive Roman Kreuziger (Astana) at the finish(Image credit: Sirotti)
Team NetApp's Jan Barta wins the Rund um Koln(Image credit: Team NetApp)
Overall Giro contender Roman Kreuziger (Astana)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) wins stage 4 of the 4 Days of Dunkirk(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Jan Barta (Team NetApp) finished second on the stage(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Roman Kreuziger (Astana) was quick to react once the Olympic team had been announced following the national championship road race. The Astana rider who most recently won a stage at the Giro d’Italia was unhappy with the federation’s choice of Jan Barta (NetApp) as his second and only teammate.
Kreuziger had made statements earlier in the year calling for the second spot to be awarded to Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma - Quickstep).
"The cooperation with Barta is impossible" he told sport.cz. "I respect the choice, it’s not me who decides. The Olympic Games were my big goal early in the season. I'm glad to be chosen and I will go and fight for the best result possible."
Barta, on the other hand was pleased with the opportunity to work with the Astana rider. "I am willing to work with him, I have no problems with it"
The selection was heavily based on the outcome of the national championship. The road race was won by Milan Kadlec (ASC Dukla Praha) with Kreuziger finishing in the front group, one spot behind Stybar, in 6th while Barta came in 12th. All three finished at the same time as the winner. The time trial was narrowly won by Barta ahead of Stybar.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
