Teams announce line-ups for Amstel
Team Astana will be going with a two-pronged attack to the Amstel Gold Race, with Serguei Ivanov and...
Team Astana will be going with a two-pronged attack to the Amstel Gold Race, with Serguei Ivanov and Matthias Kessler leading the team. Ivanov has finished in the top 10 three times, and Kessler was sixth in 2004.
Astana for Amstel: Assan Bazayev, Koen De Kort, René Haselbacher, Maxim Iglinskiy, Sergueï Ivanov, Matthias Kessler, Gennady Mikhailov und Gregory Rast.
Team Gerolsteiner will be headed by Davide Rebellin, who won the race in 2004 before going on to win the Fleche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège within a week. The team will also look to Stefan Schumacher, who is recovering from a crash in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco which left him with 10 stitches in his knee.
Gerolsteiner for Amstel: David Kopp, Volker Ordowski, Davide Rebellin, Stefan Schumacher, Tom Stamsnijder, Fabian Wegmann, Peter Wrolich and Markus Zberg.
CSC for Amstel: Lars Bak, Volodymir Gustov, Alexandr Kolobnev, Karsten Kroon, Andy Schleck, Frank Schleck, Nicki Sorensen and Jens Voigt.
Team Milram is sending an experienced all-rounder team to the race, led by Erik Zabel, Igor Astarloa and Mirco Celestino. "It's a very bad time for the whole team Milram. We have had a lot of crashes and are demoralized," said team manager Gianluigi Stanga, who hopes "that we'll have some good luck."
Milram for Amstel: Erik Zabel, Igor Astarloa, Mirko Celestino, Mirco Lorenzetto, Andrey Grivko, Niki Terpstra, Carlo Scognamiglio and Bjoern Schroeder.
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T-Mobile Team is also sending a experienced team of classics' specialists and all-rounders, to be led by Michael Rogers, Patrik Sinkewitz and Kim Kirchen. Gent-Wevelgem winner Marcus Burghardt is leading the Classics's contingent.
T-Mobile for Amstel: Michael Barry, Lorenzo Bernucci, Markus Burghardt, Kim Kirchen, Andreas Klier, Patrik Sinkewitz, Michael Rogers and Thomas Ziegler.
Liquigas for Amstel: Danilo Di Luca and Luca Paolini will return to the Classics at the direction of Stefano Zanatta, along with Michael Albasini, Patrick Calcagni, Eros Capecchi, Kjell Carlstrom, Roman Kreuziger and Alessandro Spezialetti.
Quickstep for Amstel: Carlos Barredo, Paolo Bettini, Ad Engels, Bram Tankink, Matteo Tosatto, Jurgen Van De Walle, Cedric Vasseur, Giovanni Visconti