Sinkewitz looking to Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Giro d'Italia

Patrik Sinkewitz has his sights set on Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Giro d'Italia this season. Th German, riding for the Italian Professional Continental team Farnese Vini – Neri Sottoli, is still trying to establish himself after his doping suspension.

The 30-year-old said the six weeks from mid-April to the end of May are when, “I will and must reach my best form. At Liege-Bastogne-Liege I want to improve on my good results from past years.” He finished fourth in the race in 2006, whilst riding for T-Mobile Team.

From there he will race Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt, which he won in 2007 when it was called Rund um den Henninger Turm.

Sinkewitz will then make his debut in the Giro d'Italia, his first Grand Tour since the 2007 Tour de France. “I will appear there in top form. This race is extremely important for me and my team.”

He is opening his season at Qatar, followed by Oman. In the first race, “I will mainly try to find my racing rhythm and support the sprinters on our team. In Oman there will be a mountaintop finish, where I will test my form in competition for the first time this year.”

Sinkewitz is proud of his team's performance so far this season, “a terrific season start: five stage wins at the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia were followed by a further stage win in Calabria. In comparison to 2010 we have thus made a major step forward and established ourselves as a team at the top.”

Farnese Vini – Neri Sottoli already has confirmed invitations to “such important races” as the Giro d'Italia, Tirreno-Adriatico, Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo, Fleche Wallonne, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, he said.