27th International Bayern Rundfahrt - 2.HC

Germany, May 24-28, 2006

2005 results Stage List Preview Start List Past winners

The Stages

Stage 1 - May 24: Gunzenhausen - Starnberg, 205.3 km
Stage 2 - May 25: Starnberg - Grassau, 201 km
Stage 3 - May 26: Übersee - Bad Birnbach, 181.9 km
Stage 4 - May 27: Einzelzeitfahren Plattling - Deggendorf ITT, 25.4 km
Stage 5 - May 28: Plattling - Cham, 163.6 km

Sprinters look to shine in Bayern

By Susan Westemeyer

The German (and Italian-German) ProTour teams expect to be slugging it out in Bavaria from May 24 to 28, as they take on the Bayern Rundfahrt, which goes over 777 km. But despite the race's setting in the Bavarian Alps, a time trialist has come to dominate the race in recent years - Gerolsteiner's Michael Rich.

The defending champion will be back this year, but is not expecting to win here for the fourth time since 2002. A crash in Paris-Roubaix injured his hand and caused him to lose too much training, although Team Manager Hans-Michael Holczer says not to count him out in the 25.4 km time trial.

Holczer is looking to sprinters David Kopp, Rene Haselbacher (winner of the Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt and Paco Wrolich. However, another German sprinter may have different opinions about who will take the sprint wins. Team Milram is sending star Erik Zabel, who has won 15 stages in the race and in his last appearance there in 2004 took the sprinters' jersey. And young sprinting talent Gerald Ciolek, who outsprinted Zabel in the German road championship last year, will also be on the starting line for his Team Weisenhof-Akud.

T-Mobile Team is going into the race with more modest expectations. Their sprinter, Andre Korff, is recovering from injuries suffered from two crashes in the Giro d'Italia. The focus of the team will be on Andreas Klöden, making his return to racing some eight weeks after a serious shoulder injury suffered in a training crash. "It's a good race for Andreas to make his comeback after his injury and an important step for the Tour de France," said sport and technical director Mario Kummer.

The fourth ProTeam present is CSC, which chose to send three-time winner and fan favourite Jens Voigt to the Giro this year. Kurt-Asle Arvesen will lead an exceptionally young team - four of the seven riders are under 23 years old.

The race runs from Gunzenhausen in western Bavaria to the south, then turning east before heading north in eastern Bavaria. One special highlight will be in the third stage, from Übersee to Bad Birnbach, when the race passes through Marktl am Inn, birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI.

Start list

Coming!

Past winners

2005 Michael Rich (Ger) Gerolsteiner 
2004 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC       
2003 Michael Rich (Ger) Gerolsteiner
2002 Michael Rich (Ger) Gerolsteiner
2001 Jens Voigt (Ger) Credit Agricole 
2000 Jens Voigt (Ger) Credit Agricole
1999 Rolf Aldag (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom
1998 Steffen Kjaergaard (Nor) Chicky World
1997 Christian Henn (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom
1996 Uwe Peschel (Ger) Germany
1995 Timo Scholz (Ger) Histor Öschelbronn
1994 Pavel Padrnos (Cze)
1993 Alexander Kastenhuber (Ger) Bayern
1992 Jacques Jolidon (Swi)
1991 Brian Walton (Can) Motorola
1990 Jörg Paffrath (Ger) Hessen
1989 Kai Hundertmarck (Ger) Nordrhein-Westfalen

Past winners by Mario Stiehl, www.world-of-cycling.com