Gerald Ciolek (T-Mobile) (Image credit: Elmar Krings)
T-Mobile did everything it could to set up a bunch sprint for young Gerald Ciolek in his hometown race, the Rund um Köln on Easter Monday, but a wave through the peloton in the last kilometre brought the sprinter down, and he ended up crossing the finish line in 103rd place.
"I'm even more disappointed because it happened here in Köln." the 20 year-old told German press agency dpa. "But I don't need a psychiatrist to get over it, I just need a few bandages."
Directeur sportif Jan Schaffrath was satisfied with T-Mobile's performance, despite their best placed finisher being Andre Greipel in 27th. "I have to compliment the team, which worked very well," he told t-mobile-team.com. "Everything went according to plan, but when it comes to a mass sprint, there is always the danger of a crash."
Greipel also fell victim to a crash early in the race, but continued riding despite multiple bruises in order to help Ciolek in the finale. He was taken to the hospital for x-rays, but the results are not yet available.
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