Both Peter Wrolich and Heinrich Haussler expected, or hoped, to be named to the Gerolsteiner Tour de France squad, and neither was. The German team will head to France with Markus Fothen, Bernhard Kohl, Sven Krauss, Sebastian Lang, Ronny Scholz, Stefan Schumacher, Fabian Wegmann and Oliver Zaugg.
"Paco" Wrolich told LaOla.at that he was told the team would concentrate in the sprints on Robert Förster. "He just doesn't trust me 100 percent and harmonises better with Sven Krauss, so that Förster asked to have Krauss with him." The 34 year-old Austrian also noted that both Förster and Krauss are German.
Aside from the Förster-Krauss friendship, Wrolich said that another factor might be that "From the beginning of the season, I have ridden for the team, did all I could for it and ignored my own interests. Now I am not being rewarded for that. I will take a lesson from that and in the future see that I also ride for myself sometimes."
Wrolich is not bitter about not being nominated, nor is he really totally sorry to stay home in July, as there is another event upcoming which is even more important to him than the Tour. "My wife and I expect our second son in July. So, in a way I am relieved. If there had been complications or other problems, I would of course have flown home. I wouldn't have had my head free." Depending on when the boy is born, Wrolich said he might still ride the Österreich Rundfahrt.
Haussler, 24, was bitterly disappointed, he told Radsport-News.de. "I was totally surprised, not to be included. I will need a few days to absorb this." He claimed not to understand why he was not nominated. "Last year I made the mistake of being in top form at the Dauphiné and then didn't have anything left for the Tour. But I learned my lesson and changed my preparations this year. I am sure that I would have been in top form at the Tour."
The young Australian-German said that for the rest of the season, "I want to bring in as many wins as I can." So far this year he has one victory to his credit, the final stage of the Bayern Rundfahrt. "I will be top motivated for the next races. I want to show them that it was a mistake not to take me with them." He doesn't know what those next races will be, though. "I was totally planned for the Tour. Now, I will have to see what races even take place in this time." (SW)
