On the coming Monday, May 18, Team Milram will start in the 89th Volta a Catalunya (May 18-24/UCI Category ProTour) in Spain.  Directeur sportif Jochen Hahn had to call up captain Gerald Ciolek to replace Artur Gajek, who is sick.  At the race opener in Lloret de Mar, Ciolek will be joined by fellow Germans Markus Eichler, Christian Kux, Dominik Roels, and Paul Voss at the individual time trial over 3.6 kilometers.  Dutch riders Servais Knaven
and Niki Terpstra and Slovak Martin Velits will also take on the 987 km long race from Lloret de Mar on the coast to the Catalonian capital of Barcelona for the German ProTour team.

„It is the first time I have ridden the Catalonian tour since 16 years,“ said veteran Servais Knaven.  „The stage profile is pretty mountainous.  That gives us the opportunity to see how well we do in the steep sections.  Gerald Ciolek can surely do something on one or other of the flat stages.“

If Martin Velits is as well off as he was at the Vuelta a Andalucia in February, where the 24-year-old youngster finished fourth overall, then he can give the German ProTour team hope for a good overall finish.  Germans have not been able to do well at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya over the years.  In the long history of the race, no German has ever been able to take the title in the challenging Spanish race.  It has been dominated by Spanish riders, with the record winner, with seven titles between 1928 and 1939, being Spaniard  Mariano Cañardo.

The team line-up: Gerald Ciolek (GER/Ermatingen,SUI), Markus Eichler (GER/Mönchengladbach), Servais Knaven (NED/Meerle,BEL), Christian Kux (GER/Chemnitz), Dominik Roels (GER/Köln), Niki Terpstra (NED/Haarlem), Martin Velits (SVK/Riemst,BEL), Paul Voß (GER/Bielefeld)
Director Sportif: Jochen Hahn



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