English
Mallorca-Challenge: Gerald Ciolek Fifth in Inca
Gerald Ciolek of Team MILRAM sprinted to a fifth place finish in the third stage of the Mallorca Challenge, just missing out on a podium place. The victory after 182.6 kilometers with start and finish in Inca went to Italian Daniele Bennati (Liquigas), who won the mass sprint ahead of Tom Leezer (Rabobank) and Jerome Pineau of Quick-Step.
“It’s too bad, the sprint didn’t go well,”
said Gerald Ciolek at the finish.
“The last curve was pretty sharp. I was pretty far outside and in a big gear. I never really got out into it,”
the MILRAM newcomer said. Not much was missing, and Ciolek would have successfully finished off the strong work of his teammates.
The team was especially active in the second half of the stage, a challenging one with three ranked climbs. After the trio which got away early was caught on the second climb of the day after building up a lead of 10:20, the MILRAM riders including Christian Knees, Fabian Wegmann and Johannes Fröhlinger were up at the front. A little later the Spanish team Caisse d’Epargne took over and controlled the race up until the finale. The field, which in the meantime had divided, let Spaniard Javier Ramirez (Andalucia) get off on a solo break, before catching him with three kilometers to go.
Result:
1 Daniele Bennati (ITA) Liquigas 4:27:47
2 Tom Leezer (NED) Rabobank + 1
3 Jérôme Pineau (FRA) Quick Step
4 José Joaquin Rojas (ESP) Caisse d’Epargne
5 Gerald Ciolek (GER) Team MILRAM
6 Sergej Ivanov (RUS) Katusha
7 Mathew Hayman (AUS) Rabobank
8 Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) Team Columbia-High Road
9 Javier Benitez (ESP) Contentpolis
10 Antonio Colom (ESP) Katusha
11 Christian Knees (GER) Team MILRAM
…
24 Markus Fothen (GER) Team MILRAM
35 Fabian Wegmann (GER) Team MILRAM
47 Martin Velits (SVK) Team MILRAM + 14
51 Johannes Fröhlinger (GER) Team MILRAM + 22
53 Linus Gerdemann (GER) Team MILRAM + 35
93 Peter Velits (SVK) Team MILRAM + 9:44
158 Markus Eichler (GER) Team MILRAM + 11:34
Team MILRAM at the Mallorca Challenge:
Gerald Ciolek (GER/Ermatingen,SUI), Linus Gerdemann (GER/Kreuzlingen,SUI), Christian Knees (GER/Euskirchen), Markus Fothen (GER/Kaarst), Markus Eichler (GER/Mönchengladbach), Johannes Fröhlinger (GER/Freiburg), Martin Müller (GER/Berlin), Thomas Rohregger (AUT/Kramsach), Matthias Ruß (GER/Oberried), Ronny Scholz (GER/Herrenberg), Wim Stroetinga (NED/DC Oldeberkoop), Martin Velits (SVK/Riemst,BEL), Peter Velits (SVK/Riemst,BEL), Fabian Wegmann (GER/Freiburg)
Directeurs Sportif:
Ralf Grabsch (GER), Jochen Hahn (GER)
The individual day races:
8 February: Trofeo Mallorca 116 Km
9 February: Trofeo Cala Millor-Cala Bona 176,5 Km
10 February: Trofeo Pollen̤a РPuerto de Alcudia 182,6 Km
11 February: Trofeo Inca 143,3 Km
12 ebruary: Trofeo Calvia 147,6 Km
Total length: 766 km
