Erik Zabel sprints to his first season win in Valenciana

February 28, 2008 in News Report
Tags: Erik Zabel, Team MILRAM, Volta a Valenciana

MILRAM’s  Alberto Ongarato also in the Top Ten

 27 February 2008 -  Erik Zabel, captain of the German ProTour team MILRAM won the second stage of the Volta a Valenciana (26.2-1.3/UCI 2.2).   The 178 km stage from Alzir to Xativa ended in  a mass sprint, giving the 37 year-old his first victory of the young season.  Mirco Lorenzetto (Lampre) and Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis) took second and third
places.  MILRAM’s Albert Ongarato finished in eighth place, to top off the team’s good results.

„That was a very challenging final sprint, since it went uphill to the finish line and was pretty narrow,“ said MILRAM captain Erik Zabel. „So I am very happy with my first season victory.  As a team we worked very well today, especially in the last 20 km, when we forced the tempo and set up the mass sprint.“

U23 World Champion Peter Velits second in last World’s View Challenge race

February 8, 2008 in News Report
Tags: Andrey Grivko, Artur Gajek, Björn Schröder, Christian Kux, Dominik Roels, Jochen Hahn, Luca Barla, Markus Eichler, Martin Velits, Peter Velits, Sebastian Schwager, Team MILRAM

Team MILRAM with three youngsters in the Top Ten after a strong race

Dortmund, 07 February 2008.  The Team MILRAM youngsters around Peter Velits gave a strong performance at the end of the „Intaka Tech’s World View Challenge“ (February 2-7 /UCI 1.1) on Thursday.  The Slovakian U23 World Champion, along with teammates Luca Barla, Markus Eichler and Christian Kux, joined a 25-rider strong escape group shortly after the start of the race. The 22 year-old Velits made a final break just a few kilometers before the finish line, and only four riders could follow him.  The closing sprint went to Manuel Quinziato (Team Liquigas) ahead of MILRAM’s Peter Velits and Christian Pfannberger (Team  Barloworld).  Markus Eichler (7th), Luca Barla (10th) and Christian Kux (17th) rounded out the good results for the German ProTour team.

Alessandro Pettacchi opens the 2008 season with the GP Costa degli Etruschi

February 8, 2008 in News Report
Tags: Alberto Ongarato, Alessandro Petacchi, Elia Rigotto, Fabio Sabatini, Marco Velo, Martin Muller, Matej Jurco, Niki Terpstra, Team MILRAM, Volodymyr Diudia

Team MILRAM captain looks for fourth consecutive win

Dortmund, 07 February 2008.  Team MILRAM captain Alessandro Petacchi will open his 2008 season on Saturday, February 9, with the GP Costa degli Etruschi.  With a team aimed at a mass sprint finish, the German ProTour team will look for the Italian sprinter star’s fourth consecutive win.

„The first race of the year is always a special one for me,“ MILRAM captain Alessandro Petacchi said.  „The GP Costa degli Etruschi takes place about 100 km from my hometown, so my whole family is there every year.  Of course that gives me extra motivation.  I hope that we can go well-organized into the mass sprint directly at the beginning of the season.  I naturally want to repeat my victory of the last years.“

Team MILRAM youngsters finish with the peloton in fourth race of the World’s View Challenge

February 8, 2008 in News Report
Tags: Andriy Grivko, Artur Gajek, Björn Schröder, Christian Kux, Dominik Roels, Jochen Hahn, Luca Barla, Markus Eichler, Martin Velits, Peter Velits, Sebastian Schwager, Team MILRAM

Dortmund, 06 February 2008. After three podium places in the first three races of the „Intaka Tech World’s View Challenge“ (02-07 February / UCI 1.1), Team MILRAM missed a top ten finish in the fourth race. The young riders (average age: 23.5 years) of the German ProTour team were in a good position shortly before the finale, but couldn’t use it to their advantage in the mass sprint. The day’s win after 133,5 km, like that of the last race two days ago, went to Robert Hunter (Team Barloworld), ahead of South African Christoff Van Heerden (Konica Minolta) and their landsman Juan Van Heerden (MTN Cycling Team). The best finishers for Team MILRAM were Björn Schröder and U23 World Champion Peter Velits as 15th and 17th.

MILRAM’s Björn Schröder sprints to second place in South Africa behind local rider Robert Hunter

February 4, 2008 in News Report
Tags: Andrey Grivko, Artur Gajek, Björn Schröder, Christian Kux, Dominik Roels, Luca Barla, Markus Eichler, Martin Velits, Peter Velits, Sebastian Schwager, Team MILRAM

Berlin Allrounder takes third top finish for MILRAM Youngsters within 72 hours

Dortmund, 04 February 2008. MILRAM’s Björn Schröder took second place in the sprint in the third day of the Intaka World’s View Challenge, giving his German ProTour team a further top finish in the South African race series.  The day’s win after 108 km with start and finish in Pietermaritzburg went to local rider Robert Hunter of the British Barloworld team.

It was the the third second-place finish within 72 hours for MILRAM’s „Young Lions“, which include all seven of the team’s newcomers.  On the first two days, the Ukrainian Andrey Grivko took the second places, before on Monday the 27 year-old Berliner Björn Schröder took another top placing under the direction of Directeur Sportif Jochen Hahn.

World’s View Challenge 2008 – Andrey Grivko gives Team MILRAM the second podium place in two days

February 3, 2008 in News Report
Tags: Andrey Grivko, Artur Gajek, Björn Schröder, Christian Kux, Dominik Roels, Jochen Hahn, Luca Barla, Markus Eichler, Martin Velits, Peter Velits, Sebastian Schwager, South Africa, Team MILRAM, World’s View Challenge 2008

Team MILRAM youngsters with strong performance at the World’s View Challenge in South Africa

Dortmund, 03. February 2008. Team MILRAM’s young riders continued to prove their good early season form in the second race of the „Intaka Tech World’s View Challenge“ (02.-07. February / UCI 1.1). Led by the Ukrainian Andrey Grivko, the German ProTour team put its mark on the 127,4 km around Peitermaritzburg. The 24 year-old couldn’t follow the final attack by Italian Leonardo Betagnolli (Team Liquigas), only a few km before the finish line, and finished in second place as he did the day before. Third place went to the South African David George (MTN Cycling Team). Also in the top ten was MILRAM young pro Christian Kux, who finished the race as sixth.

Tour of Qatar 2008: MILRAM’s Marco Velo takes 18th in the final sprint

February 1, 2008 in News Report
Tags: Alberto Ongarato, Christian Knees, Luciano Pagliarini, Marco Velo, Matej Jurco, Niki Terpstra, Ralf Grabsch, Team MILRAM, Tom Boonen, Tour of Qatar 2008, Volodymyr Diudia

Dortmund, 01 February 2008. The German ProTour Team MILRAM finished off the Tour of Qatar /27.01 – 01.02, UCI 2.1) with an 18th place finish by Marco Velo. The sprinter teams controlled the sixth and last stage of the desert race, as expected. The day’s victory after 120 km went to overall winner Tom Boonen, who beat the Italian Alberto Loddo (Tinkoff) and the Brazilian Luciano Pagliarini (Saunier Duval) in the mass sprint in Doha Corniche.

We ended off this Tour with another typical flat stage. Early on a few riders were able to escape and Quick-Step kept things under control At least it wasn’t as hectic as the last few days. Overall it was good preparation for us, since we saw a lot of action,“ said MILRAM’s Ralf Grabsch, who is satisfied with his first race of the season.

Tour of Qatar 2008: Marco Velo und Ralf Grabsch finish in the first group

February 1, 2008 in News Report
Tags: Alberto Ongarato, Christian Knees, Marco Velo, Matej Jurco, Niki Terpstra, Ralf Grabsch, Stage 5, Team MILRAM, Tom Boonen, Tour of Qatar 2008, Volodymyr Diudia

Convincing performance by the MILRAM duo on the longest stage on the Persian Gulf

Dortmund, 31 January 2008.   The fifth stage of the Tour of Qatar (27.01.-01.02. / UCI 2.1) was again one for the sprinters around favorite  Tom Boonen.  Many riders tried their luck on the 170 kilometer longest stage between Al Khor Academy and Al Khor Corniche, causing an unsettled race.   But the peloton managed to hold things together until after 110 km a 42-rider strong group formed, among which were MILRAM’s Ralf Grabsch, Marco Velo and Alberto Ongarato.

Things were happening right from the beginning today.  There were constant attacks, and numerous small groups, who wanted to prevent another mass sprint finish, tried to get away,“ said MILRAM’s Ralf Grabsch.  „But the peloton didn’t let anyone really get away.  In the end I was in the big leading group with Marco Velo and Alberto Ongarato and we did  our share of the work.“

Team MILRAM starts in the Intaka Tech World’s View Challenge

January 30, 2008 in News Report
Tags: Artur Gaek, Björn Schröder, Christian Kux, Dominik Roels, Gerry van Gerwen, Luca Barla, Markus Eichler, Martin Velits, Peter Velits, ProTour team Unibet.com, Sebastian Schwager, Team MILRAM

German ProTour Team sends ten youngsters to five-part race in South Africa

 

Dortmund, 30 January 2008.  Team MILRAM riders with an average age of 23.5 years will take on the Intaka Tech World’s View Challenge (February 2-7,  UCI 1.1) as of this coming Saturday.   Directeur Sportif Jochen Hahn will lead ten MILRAM riders, including all seven newcomers, in the five-part race series in the Pietermaritzburg area.

 

„Our newcomers will start their season in South Africa,“ said team manager Gerry van Gerwen.  „We will be concentrating even more in the future on young riders.  They will be gathering their first race kilometers under the watchful eye of Jochen Hahn and preparing themselves carefully for the coming season.“

Tour of Qatar 2008: Wind stops Team MILRAM in the third stage of Tour of Qatar

January 30, 2008 in News Report
Tags: Al Khor Corniche, Christian Knees, Danilo Napolitano, Khalifa Stadium, Steven de Jongh, Team MILRAM, Tom Boonen, Tour of Qatar 2008

Dortmund, 29 January 2008. Team Milram came in to the finish with the first large group in the third stage of the Tour of Qatar. The stage win went again to Belgian Tom Boonen (Quick-Step), who will continue to wear the leader’s golden jersey. He won in a mass sprint ahead of Italian Danilo Napolitano and teammate Steven de Jongh. Best MILRAM rider was Marco Velo in 26th place.

“We were near the front of the field all the way up to the finish, but had some bad luck with the wind, which cost us our chance in the sprint,” said MILRAM’s Christian Knees. “I am satisfied with the first days. We are working together well as a team and gathering important race kilometers for the Spring Classics.”