Tour du Haut-Var

20-02-2009 23:51:35

This coming weekend Team Milram will celebrate a racing premiere, when for the first time in its history it starts in the Tour du Haut Var (February 21-22/UCI 2.1).  Directeur Sportif Vittorio Algeri will look in southern France to a total of eight riders around allrounder Christian Knees and two-time German national champion Fabian Wegmann.   The well-known one-day race has changed its format this season.  The 41st race  will crown its champion after two stages for the first time, over a total of 365 kilometers.

„This is a challenging race with many climbs. We are sending our allrounders to southern France, so that they can find the racing rhythm,“ said Gerry van Gerwen, manager of Team Milram.  „ That is especially important in light of the upcoming first big races of the season, such as Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico and of course Milano-Sanremo.  Nevertheless, it is still our priority to be at the front in every race, so we will present ourselves that way in the Tour Haut Var.“

The challenging race in southern France has been run since 1969.  In all that time only one German could finish the Tour cycliste international du Haut Var as winner, Rolf Gölz in 1987.  The record holder is Dutch rider Joop Zoetmelk (1973, 1979 and 1983).  The first stage runs over 181 kilometers from Saint-Raphael to Grimaud.  The second stage of the Tour du Haut Var 2009 finishes after 194 kilometers in Callian in southeastern France.

Team Milram at the Tour du Haut Var:
Johannes Fröhlinger (GER/Freiburg im Breisgau), Christian Knees (GER/Euskirchen), Dominik Roels (GER/Köln), Thomas Rohregger (AUT/Kramsach), Matthias Ruß (GER/Oberried), Ronny Scholz (GER/Herrenberg), Peter Velits (SVK/Riemst,BEL), Fabian Wegmann (GER/Freiburg im Breisgau)