The T-Mobile team is looking forward to Monday’s 45th edition of German race Rund um den Henninger Turm, with firm plans to attack on May 1. Patrik Sinkewitz in particular is full of ambitions for the race on his home turf. In the past week, the 25 year-old placed fifth at both the Amstel Gold race and La Flèche-Wallone and finished fourth at Liège-Bastogne- Liège.
"The wins will come in time," said local hero Sinkewitz, pointing at the magenta riders’ strong team performance in the Ardennes. "The team worked together excellently. We put he tactics into action and were always in the thick of things with two riders in the important moments of the race."
Having barely missed out on podium spots, however, is bugging Sinkewitz. In Liège in particular, where he was clearly one of the strongest riders in the finale, he came tantalising close. After a courageous ride, he had to make do with fourth place. At his home race, Sinkewitz now aims for the podium, supported by Steffen Wesemann - runner-up at the Amstel Gold Race - and the reigning ITT World Champion Michael Rogers from Australia.
Traditionally, the focus at the Henninger Turm will be on the German teams. "It’s a matter of prestige for us," said team manager Olaf Ludwig, who in 1994 won the race himself. "Everybody expects us to control the field and react to each attack. You have to be alert at every second."
The T-Mobile roster at Henninger Turm will be: Marcus Burghardt, Sergey Ivanov, Kim Kirchen, André Korff, Michael Rogers, Patrik Sinkewitz, Bram Schmitz and Steffen Wesemann.
