Amstel Gold Roster Announcements
T-Mobile,  Lampre/Fondital and Skil/Shimano roster and Announcements

T-Mobile
Plenty of options for T-Mobile Team
The ProTour carnival moves north to the Netherlands this weekend for the 41st running of the Amstel Gold Race, the race that disproves the perception that the Netherlands are entirely flat. The T-Mobile Team has nominated a solid and experienced line-up of classics' specialists and all rounders to the hilly event, though none of the top-favourites will be wearing magenta.

Experienced roster for hilly Amstel Gold Race
"It is a well-balanced and there is a lot of potential there," says sport and tecnhical director Mario Kummer, who believes the inclusion of gives the team options depending on how the race unfolds. "All three have shown in recent races that they have the form to do something."

This lead trio will be joined by experienced classics specialists Andreas Klier, Bram Schmitz, Matthias Kessler, Kim Kirchen and Eddy Mazzoleni on the 251 km route that criss-crosses Limburg, the hilly southern region sandwiched between Germany and Belgium.

T-Mobile Roster:
Patrik Sinkewitz
Steffen Wesemann
Sergey Ivanov
Andreas Klier
Bram Schmitz
Matthias Kessler
Kim Kirchen
Eddy Mazzoleni

Test for climbers and all-rounders
 Amstel Gold Race doesn't have the cobbled mystique of the other Northern Classics, but what it lacks in cobbles it makes up for in short poisonous climbs. It is the cumulative effect of 31 small ascents, none longer than 2.1 kilometres and none with a gradient steeper than one in seven, which dictates the pattern of the race. Unsurprising, the Amstel Gold Race is usually won by an all-rounder who outlasts his fellow breakaways on the final series of killer climbs.
"There's hardly five kilometres of flat road on the route and that's what makes it so difficult," says T-Mobile sporting director Valerio Piva. The best known climb is the one-in-seven drag up the finishing hill, the Cauberg, which is usually the decisive point in the race and the focal point for fans. The race takes the riders up this hill three times. "The constant changes of direction make it difficult for the riders to know where the wind is coming from. But they have to stay focussed, so that they still have enough in the tank for the last assault on the Cauberg," continues Valerio Piva, who lives in Maastricht.

Thick fog turned last year’ Amstel Gold into something of a ‘phantom race’for both the fans on the roadside and the TV viewers, who were deprived of pictures. In the end, Danilo di Luca (Liquigas) emerged from out of the mist to win the 30-rider sprint up the Cauberg.

Lampre/Fondital at Amstel
Ballan will lead and take advantage of his fitness; Stangelj , Petrov and Marzoli in support for a good result; Figueras, Marzano, Carrara and Commesso in order to enter in breakaways and to help their team mates.
This is the roster and the ambitions of Lampre/Fondital for the Amstel Gold Race, scheduled for Sunday the 16th of April.

Stanglej courtesy Lampre/Fondital

Fabrizio Bontempi, sport director that will lead the team during the whole second part of the races of the north, explain Lampre-Fondital's target for Amstel: "The team will be able to obtain a result: Stanglej, Petrov and Marzoli showed during races in Spain that they're in good fitness and they will be able to race as protagonists. Ballan will take part at Amstel to try to obtain points for Pro Tour ranking: Alessandro won't aim to the victory, but he will try to use his fitness to obtain a placement".

Davitamon-Lotto
Roster:
Aerts Mario
Brandt Christophe
Dockx Bart
Horner Chris
Leukemans Björn
Van Bon Leon
Vanhuffel Wim
Vansummeren Johan
Teamleader : Frison Herman

Wim Van Huffel replaces Peter Van Petegem who was operated on yesterday for a broken collar bone, the first of his career; Van Petegem hopes to be fit for the Tour of Belgium.

Team Skil-Shimano for Amstel Gold Race
Five Dutch riders will start for the Skil-Shimano professional cyclingteam in the Amstel Gold Race, the major Dutch classic.
Dutch Riders:
Aart Vierhouten
Rik Reinerink
Piet Rooijakkers
Maarten Tjallingii
Sebastian Langeveld
German riders:
René Weissinger
Paul Martens
Hidenori Nodera(Japanese champion).
The Skil-Shimano sports-director at this event will be Rudie Kemna
You can find more background information about these riders on our website:
www.skilcyclingteam.com

Eine Woche nach dem Kopfsteinpflaster-Klassiker Paris-Roubaix steht für die Profis des T-Mobile Team am Sonntag mit dem 41. Amstel Gold Race bereits die nächste Aufgabe auf dem Programm. Mit einem kompakten und routinierten Ensemble stellt sich die Equipe des Bonner Radrennstalls auch ohne einen absoluten Top-Favoriten in den Reihen der Herausforderung in den Niederlanden.
"Die Mannschaft ist breit aufgestellt und bietet viel Potenzial", sagt Mario Kummer. Der Sport-Technische Direktor verfügt in Patrik Sinkewitz, Steffen Wesemann oder dem Russen Sergey Ivanov je nach Rennverlauf über mehrere Optionen. "Alle drei haben in den vergangenen Rennen gezeigt, dass die Form stimmt", betont Kummer. Neben dem Trio schickt der Sportliche Leiter Valerio Piva in den beiden Klassiker-Spezialisten Andreas Klier und Bram Schmitz (Niederlande) sowie Matthias Kessler, Kim Kirchen (Luxemburg) und Eddy Mazzoleni (Italien) weitere erfahrene Profis ins Rennen über die 251 Kilometer lange

Distanz in der Region Süd-Limburg.
Die Tour über das "Heuvelland" (Hügelland) im Süden Hollands mit Ziel auf dem Cauberg bei Valkenburg wird auch in diesem Jahr zu einem Härtetestfür die Fahrer der 25 Mannschaften. Beim achten ProTour-Rennen der Saison sind Rouleurs und Kletterer gleichermaßen gefordert. "Das Rennen ist gerade deshalb so schwierig, weil es keine fünf Kilometer eben ist", sagt Piva.
Wie im Vorjahr müssen die Fahrer im Dreiländereck zwischen Holland, Belgien und Deutschland 31 Anstiege absolvieren. "Die einzelnen Anstiege sind nicht so schlimm - die Summe macht's", schildert Mario Kummer eine der Schwierigkeiten.
"Die vielen Richtungswechsel erschweren das Rennen zusätzlich. Man muss sehr konzentriert fahren, um am Ende noch genügend Kraft für den Cauberg in den Beinen zu haben", ergänzt Valerio Piva, der unweit derStrecke in Maastricht zuhause ist.
Dichter Nebel machte den jüngsten Klassiker im vergangenen Jahr für die Zuschauer an der Strecke und vor dem TV-Gerät zu einem "Geisterrennen". Am Ende setzte sich der spätere ProTour-Gesamtsieger Danilo di Luca (Liquigas) aus Italien im Sprint einer elf Fahrer starken Spitzengruppe durch.

Lampre Amstel Gold
Ballan per tentare di sfruttare ancora la condizione che l'ha sostenuto nella prima parte di stagione; Stangelj (nella foto), Petrov e Marzoli per lottare per un piazzamento; Figueras, Marzano, Carrara e Commesso per inserirsi in eventuali fughe e aiutare i compagni.
Questi sono i convocati e le ambizioni della Lampre-Fondital per l'Amstel Gold Race, in programma domenica 16 aprile.
Guidare la spedizione della Lampre-Fondital per tutta la seconda parte della campagna del Nord sarà compito di Fabrizio Bontempi, il quale illustra le prospettive dei suoi corridori per la gara di questa domenica: "Avrò una squadra che certamente può fare bene: corridori come Stangelj, Petrov e Marzoli hanno dimostrato nelle corse in Spagna di essere in forma e quindi potranno giocarsi le loro carte. La convocazione di Ballan è da leggersi invece nell'ottica di cercare di ottenere punti per la classifica Pro Tour: Alessandro non avrà l'assillo della vittoria, ma cercherà col suo buon colpo di pedale di ottenere un piazzamento che possa portare punti".
 

Team Skil-Shimano voor Amstel Gold Race
Het Skil-Shimano team komt met vijf Nederlanders aan de start in de Amstel Gold Race, de grootste profklassieker in Nederland. Aart Vierhouten, Rik Reinerink, Piet Rooijakkers, Maarten Tjallingii en Sebastian Langeveld zorgen voor de Nederlandse inbreng. Het team wordt gecompleteerd door de Duitsers René Weissinger en Paul Martens en de Japans kampioen Hidenori Nodera. Ploegleider in deze wedstrijd is Rudie Kemna.

Meer achtergrondinformatie over deze renners is te vinden op onze website: www.skilcyclingteam.com