The T-Mobile team will race the Sparkassen-Münsterland-Giro in Germany next Tuesday, October 3, with practically the same line up that is competing in the Circuit Franco-Belge. The only change sees Linus Gerdemann slot in for Italy’s Lorenzo Bernucci in the eight-rider roster in Westphalia.
Gerdemann, who hails from Münster, will enjoy a home advantage in this first running of the UCI 1.1 late-season race. The 24 year-old is motivated to impress his home fans, and will be able to rely on local knowledge of the roads in the area.
Gerdemann will be supported in the 200 km race by a host of sprinters: Eric Baumann, André Greipel, André Korff, Olaf Pollack and British stagiaire Mark Cavendish. Classics specialists Andreas Klier and Bas Giling round out the magenta roster on German Reunification Day, which is a public holiday in Germany.
The race route takes the peloton from the town of Coesfeld through the Baumberge hills to the regional capital Münster. If a winning break doesn't go clear on the gentle slopes of the Baumberge, then the fans at the finish in Münster’s Hindenburgplatz can look forward to a big sprint finale.
