Road Season Preview 2004

January 21, 2004

Gerolsteiner

Bubbling to the top

German Division I team Gerolsteiner wants to establish itself at the top of the pecking order for 2004, as it revealed at its team presentation in Gerolstein on Tuesday. The team which won 27 races and finished sixth on the world rankings at the end of last year, a performance that impressed team boss Hans Michael Holczer. "After what was for us a certainly surprising tenth placing in the world rankings in the year 2002 and sixth place in the year 2003, we are now counting on maintaining our position," said Holczer at the launch.

The team will be spearheaded by established riders such as Davide Rebellin, Michael Rich, Uwe Peschel, Georg Totschnig and Marcus Zberg, with 23 year old Fabian Wegmann (60th on the UCI rankings) a major up and coming talent. Rebellin said that he will focus on the World Cups, Olympic Games and World Championships, and will also participate in the Giro d'Italia (but not the Tour).

With seven new acquisitions in 2004, the 24 member team should be able to meet its expectations. 30 year old ex-Telekom sprinter Danilo Hondo will be an important part of this, as "more and more races are decided in sprints," according to Holczer. "Danilo is established among the sprinting world elite. But what we really appreciate about him is that he can win races in other ways than in a sprint."

The other new signings including Swiss riders Beat Zberg and Sven Montgomery, who will strengthen the team in the grand tours, while 31 year old Marco Serpellini will add his experience to the classics team. Gerolsteiner has also signed three young riders in Markus Fothen, Sven Krauß and Thomas Ziegler. Fothen, the U23 World and European time trial champion, hopes to be able to follow in the footsteps of Michael Rich and Uwe Peschel, Gerolsteiner's big motors against the clock.

Gerolsteiner team roster for 2004

Photos

Images by Florian Schaaf/www.cyclingpictures.de

Looking more like a coolroom than a team presentation, Photo ©: Florian Schaaf	Pillars of bubbly water Photo ©: Florian Schaaf	Team Gerolsteiner Photo ©: Florian Schaaf
Gianni Faresin, Davide Rebellin and Marco Serpellini Photo ©: Florian Schaaf	Always shave before you go out Photo ©: Florian Schaaf	The newest team members Photo ©: Florian Schaaf
Team manager, Hans-Michael Holczer Photo ©: Florian Schaaf	What a big lens you have Photo ©: Florian Schaaf	Danilo Hondo Photo ©: Florian Schaaf
Sven Montgomery Photo ©: Florian Schaaf	Olaf Pollack Photo ©: Florian Schaaf	Davide Rebellin Photo ©: Florian Schaaf