Team Volksbank starts season in Italy

By Susan Westemeyer

Team Volksbank is preparing to start its season this week with the GP Costa degli Etrusci in Italy. It is "a welcome form test in the frame of a 10-day training camp," which the team has been holding since February 2 in Donoratico, Italy.

The race sees the debut of Gerhard Trampusch in the Austrian Professional Continental team. "I am very much looking forward to the season," the 28-year-old said. "I want to get in some racing kilometers in the GP and help to bring our sprinters into position. If we can do that, then it ought to be possible for (Sven) Teutenberg and (Werner) Riebenbauer to get some good results."

The team will also see the debut of its new carbon bikes from Corratec and the new racing kit from Northcoast. They even have new cars this year, moving up from Fiat Stilo to the Fiat Croma. "We'll have to see whether our guys can keep up with all this exclusive material," Team Manager Thomas Kofler joked.

Volksbank for the GP Costa degli Etrusci: Pascal Hungerbühler, Florian Stalder, Sven Teutenberg, Rene Weissinger, Gerhard Trampusch, Harald Morscher, Werner Riebenbauer, and Patrick Riedesser.