Ciolek seeks stage win in Qatar

Team Milram, led by captain Gerald Ciolek, will be looking for its first win of 2010 when it takes part in the upcoming Tour of Qatar, February 7-12. The flat profile of the Tour of Qatar favors the sprinters and the 23-year-old Ciolek will rely on his finishing speed in order to open his season with a victory.

"We have prepared well and are looking forward to our first racing," said Ciolek about his season's start in Qatar. "I have trained a lot with this group over the winter. The three newcomers [Roger Kluge, Roy Sentjens and Wim de Vocht] were quickly integrated and we meshed quickly both on and off the bike.

"Now we have to see how it works out in a race, to start successfully in the season."

The German ProTour squad's best results in last year's Tour of Qatar came from German sprinter Robert Förster's two top-ten finishes, fifth in the fourth stage and second in the closing stage.

Team Milram's Tour of Qatar roster:
Gerald Ciolek (Ger), Wim de Vocht (Bel), Roger Kluge (Ger), Servais Knaven (Ned), Roy Sentjens (Bel), Björn Schröder (Ger), Niki Terpstra (Ned), Peter Wrolich (Aut)

Directeur sportif: Ralf Grabsch (Ger)