German team Milram was happy with its season start in Australia, putting two riders in the top ten in the overall classification and winning the KOM jersey. Australian Luke Roberts, the new hire of the team, ended the week Down Under in fifth place, with teammate Markus Fothen close behind in tenth. Austrian Thomas Rohregger secured the mountains jersey in Southern Australia.
Team Manager Gerry van Gerwen wanted to change things after last season, which didn’t quite go according to plan. “We wanted to get good results already at the season’s opening in Australia. Our riders successfully put this plan into action,” van Gerwen said. “Our team has worked very hard over the last weeks and months. The results in Australia underline that we are on a better course compared with last season.’ he hopes for a domino effect. “The good start into the season will motivate the team in the next races.”
Luke Roberts was also very happy with his performance. The Australian, who lives in Germany, came from German Continental team Kuota-Indeland. “Our team has done a great job. We’ve got to riders in the top ten, and Tommy got the mountains jersey. The hard work the team has shown over the last weeks is paying off,” Roberts said. He was also quite pleased to be back with the big boys. “Personally, it was a great comeback in the ProTour for me. It’s good fun to be racing on a high level with Team Milram.”
Luke Roberts finished only 17 seconds down on overall victor André Greipel from the HTC-Columbia team. Places two and three in the overall went to Spaniard Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d’Epargne/ 11 seconds down) and Greg Henderson from New Zealand (Sky/ 15 seconds down). Markus Fothen was 27 seconds behind in the end.
Roberts missed out on an even better result on the final day. He was in third place going into the final crit, but Greg Henderson and Robbie McEwen scored enough bonus seconds to pass Roberts in the end.
Despite the short 4.5-kilometer loops, there was a hill in there and Rohregger scored the necessary point already in the first mountain prize of the day.