All three teams sending young rosters to week-long stage race
Tour of Britain organiser SweetSpot has announced the three more teams’ provisional line ups for the race, which starts in Dumfries and Gallloway, in the Scottish Borders on September 11th. The Dutch Vacansoleil-DCM team has named its six riders, as have Professional Continental teams Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator from Belgium and Team NetApp from Germany.
In only its second year of existence, and its first at Professional Continental level, 2011 marks the debut in the race for Team NetApp. Nevertheless, the German team’s multinational roster will take the start in Scotland with plenty of ambition.
“As a young team, we are looking forward to racing The Tour of Britain for the first time, being the most known race of the country,” said Team NetApp manager Ralph Denk. We will compete with a squad that is suited best to the challenging course.
“With Bartosz Huzarski we aim for a top ten rank in the general classification,” Denk added. “With Daniel Schorn, who has fully recovered after his accident at the Tour of Austria, we will take our chances in the sprints. Strong riders like Jan Barta, who is known for his attacks, will complete the team. As we proved many times in recent stage races Team NetApp will also leave its mark at The Tour of Britain with an active racing style.”
Leading the Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator team will be time trial specialist Dominique Cornu, who finished seventh in the Eneco Tour earlier this month. Alongside him will be riders including track star Kenny De Ketele, who rode the Tour of Britain in 2007, and Stijn Neirninck, who rode the race in 2010.
With many of its stars at the Vuelta a España, which finishes on the day that the Tour of Britain starts, Vacansoleil-DCM is sending a young team, giving the opportunity to stagieres Bert-Jan Lindeman and Willem Wauters. 2010 stage winner and runner up Borut Bozic is currently only on the reserve list for the race.
Team NetApp for the Tour of Britain (provisional):
Jan Barta, Cesare Benedetti, Bartosz Huzarski, Daryl Impey, Leopold König and Timon Seubert
Reserves: Andreas Dietziker, Andreas Schillinger, Daniel Schorn
Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator for the Tour of Britain (provisional):
Dominique Cornu, Kenny De Ketele, Stijn Neirynck, Jarl Salomein, Preben Van Hecke and Jelle Wallays
Reserves: Sven Jodts, Stijn Joseph, Steven Van Vooren
Vacansoleil-DCM for the Tour of Britain (provisional):
Maxim Belkov, Jan-Bert Lindeman, Barry Markus, Wouter Mol, Jens Mouris and Willem Wauters
Reserves: Borut Bozic, Marcello Pavarin