Wegmann making the rounds

Fabian Wegmann is getting ready for the Dauphiné Libéré, starting on Sunday, where he won the first stage in 2006, but first the Gerolsteiner rider will have a stopover close to home.

"On Friday I will ride Michael Rich's farewell race," he wrote on his website, fabianwegmann.de. "It is near Freiburg; there will be a criterium with the top riders qualifying for a derny race. It should be and will be fun, and we surely won't ride all out."

The German recently rode the Bayern Rundfahrt for the first time. "Although the race wasn't so hard this year, I must say that it was one of the best stage races I have ridden so far. In addition to the good organization, the landscape is naturally beautiful." On the first day of the race, he won the climber's jersey, which he was able to hold on to until the last day, when he had to concentrate on helping teammate Stefan Schumacher win the race instead of on the mountain points. "Sure the jersey would have been a nice souvenir but the loss is not tragic."

After that race, he dropped by Stuttgart to check out the course for the Worlds in September. "I must say, it is pretty hard and I think it is harder than the course in Salzburg."