T-Mobile, Astana for Milan-San Remo

T-Mobile will stand behind Luxembourger Kim Kirchen, who recently finished second in Tirreno-Adriatico, as their hope for Milan-San Remo. "Kim is very much in form at the moment," said director sportif Valerio Piva, who is also counting on "a big all-round team performance."

Kirchen will be supported by Classics specialists Roger Hammond and Jakob Piil, but Bernhard Eisel will be there for a possible sprint finish. Young sprinter Gerald Ciolek is also on the team, but, according to Piva, "For Gerald, this race will be first and foremost about gaining experience."

Kirchen went head-to-head with the Astana squad in Tirreno-Adriatico, but neither Vinokourov nor Kloden will be taking the start in Milan. Astana is instead sending its one-day specialists to the race, with Matthias Kessler and Serguei Ivanov leading the list. Rene Haselbacher will be the team's hope in a sprint finish.