Burghardt returns to racing

Knee problems have forced last year's Gent-Wevelgem winner to miss this year's Spring Classics, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. After therapy and two weeks of training on Mallorca, Marcus Burghardt is ready to start racing again.

The 24 year-old is still not in a condition to ride his favourite races of the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix, much to his regret. "The one-day races in Belgium are good for me. I have a lot of fans there. And Paris-Roubaix is also something special." Training and therapy have helped him to recover. "But my form won't be enough for such difficult races as Vlaanderen," he told Freiepresse.

Instead, the German will ride a small race in the Netherlands, the Hel van het Mergelland, before heading off to the US later this month for the Tour de Georgia. He continues to have high goals for the season: "I want to make the squad for the Tour de France and after that, to the Olympics."