Fothen brothers together at Gerolsteiner

Team Gerolsteiner's newest brother pair, Marcus (24) and Thomas (22) Fothen, have flown to Mallorca for a private training camp. However, they do not expect to put in their "minimum 160 to 220 km per day" on their own, Marcus told the German newspaper Neuss-Grevenbroicher Zeitung: "There are always other cyclists there, even some others from our team. You always meet somebody you can ride with." The reason for the early departure for training is clear, the German said. "The weather here is simply too bad."

Marcus, who placed 12th in last year's Giro d'Italia and is rated as one of Germany's top talents, was training on Mallorca in December, then flew home to spend Christmas with girlfriend Jessica, who is expecting the couple's first child in May. The German winter prevented any training rides, but he put in time in the fitness studio and on the home trainer or rollers. Marcus expects to start the season the end of February, with races in Chiasso and Lugano, and later with Tireno-Adriatico and Criterium International paving the way for his Tour de France debut this year. Thomas, a newcomer to the team, will ride the Tour of Qatar and the Trofeo Mallorca. The brothers expect to ride together in the Circuit de la Sarthe in April and Rund um Köln on Easter Monday.