The future of German Cycling: Marcel Sieberg, off to a flying start

Marcel Sieberg missed much of last season with Team Wiesenhof due to mononucleosis, but still did well enough to earn himself a spot in the ProTour with Team Milram. In his first season in cycling's big league, the tall young German has managed to get off to a flying start. Cyclingnews' Susan Westemeyer caught up with the fast moving sprinter to review his first few races.

Marcel Sieberg's first race was the Tour of Qatar, where he supported captain Alessandro Petacchi. Milram finished second in the opening stage, a team time trial, allowing 24 year-old Sieberg to take the young rider's jersey, which he held for two stages.

Qatar was dominated by Quick-Step, who nearly won all the stages with Tom Boonen four and the team taking the team time trial. Milram came up a tad short in the race, taking five second places, including the time trial. But only three of those second places belonged to superstar Petacchi, the other was for Sieberg.

That was the fifth stage, where a 10-man group made a successful escape. Sieberg saw his chance and went for it. "When Wilfried Cretskens made his move 400 meters before the finish line, I could only think, oh not, not another one from Quick-Step," Sieberg said at the time. "Sure you think about winning. It could have happened. But this is something to build on."

Looking back on it, he said "Quick-Step was in the lead 800 meters before the finish and nobody followed. On the home stretch I thought something has to happen. It was a spontaneous reaction. I started and overtook the Quick-Step rider. However, then Avermaets passed me by again. Looking back, I'm a bit disappointed, and I ask myself what I could have done better."

For the full feature on Marcel Sieberg, click here.