T-Mobile for California

By Susan Westemeyer

Team T-Mobile is sending five newcomers to the Tour of California, including its two North Americans. The team will be looking to German youngster Gerald Ciolek to do well in the sprints in the race down the California coast.

Aaron Olson (USA) and Michael Barry (Canada) are the "local" candidates on T-Mobile's multinational team. Also making their T-Mobile debuts will be Adam Hansen (Australia), Jacob Piil (Denmark) and Ciolek (Germany). They will be joined by Michael Rogers (Australia), Greg Henderson (New Zealand) and Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg).

Brian Holm is Director Sportif for the race. "If you consider which phase of the season we're in at the moment then you can't really talk about a preparation race. Here you are up against it from the start," he said on the team's website.

The team hopes to repeat its two sprint stage wins from last year. "With Greg Henderson and Gerald Ciolek we have to sprinting talents in the team who'll be able to show their ability on a course like this," he continued. For a possible GC candidate, he pointed to trio Olson, Piil and Kirchen, all of whom are "raring to go."

T-Mobile for the Tour of California: Michael Barry, Gerald Ciolek, Adam Hansen, Greg Henderson, Kim Kirchen, Aaron Olson, Jacob Piil and Michael Rogers.