Milram has confirmed that Linus Gerdemann will lead the team at the Giro d'Italia next month. The German ProTour team announced its line-up for the race at a press conference in Munich, Germany, on Tuesday.
Gerdemann, 27, is looking forward to his debut in the Italian race. “I’m very much looking forward to it. The Giro is a race with the highest priority for me. I always like to ride in Italian races and feel very comfortable there,” he said.
Things have not gone smoothly this season for the German, who is still recovering from bronchitis. “Since Milan-San Remo I have had health problems and had to take an unplanned race break. So at this point it is hard to say what goals might be realistic, since it it’s not possible to predict my form for the start of the Giro.”
“The Giro d'Italia has always been and still is one of our major season highlights,” said team manager Gerry van Gerwen. “Our goal is to surprise at the race and to help shape the Giro. We are to be reckoned with.”
The Milram line-up will also feature sprinter Robert Förster, who has won three stages at the Giro, Luke Roberts, who won a stage at the Vuelta a Murcia, and Austrian climber Thomas Rohregger.
Milram for the Giro d'Italia:
Markus Fothen, Robert Förster, Linus Gerdemann, Dominik Roels, Luke Roberts, Thomas Rohregger, Matthias Ruß, Paul Voß, and Fabian Wegmann
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Gerdemann to skip Flèche, back for Liège
Although Linus Gerdemann will lead Milram at the Giro, he will miss Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday due to a lingering bout of bronchitis picked up at the Tour of the Basque Country. However, the German is expected to return to competition at Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday.
In Gerdemann's absence, Fabian Wegmann will head to Flèche as the team's sole captain. Last year, Wegmann was the best placed Milram rider at the mid-week Classic, finishing in 18th position. Artur Gajek has been drafted in to replace Gerdemann in the team's roster for Wednesday's race.
Wegmann and Gajek will be joined at Flèche Wallonne by Johannes Fröhlinger, Christian Knees, Dominik Nerz, Dominik Roels, Paul Voß and Peter Wrolich.
