German Team Milram presented its squad for the 2010 season Thursday morning in the Signal Iduna Park football stadium in Dortmund, Germany.  A total of 24 pro cyclists, including 16 German riders, will represent German cycling in the new racing season after what some analysts call a 2009 season of little success.  Led by the two German captains Linus Gerdemann and Gerald Ciolek, Team Milram is going into the 2010 season with confidence and ambitious goals.

„We are shifting into a higher gear. After our successful year we are ready for the next step," Gerry van Gerwen, General Manager of Team Milram said at the team presentation. Van Gerwen is happy that his team improved not only its media value by 20 percent but also its own image through good riding.  „With our new 'Back to Basics' scheme and some restructuring, we have continued to develop the team.  The groundstone has been laid, now the successes must follow.  With the quality of our riders, 25 wins in about 250 races in 2010 is a must."

Five newcomers strengthen the team in 2010. The most prominent German new signing is track specialist Roger Kluge.  Kluge, who won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics, switched to road racing at the beginning of the year and wants to continue his successful career on asphalt.  In addition, talented young German U23 champion Dominik Nerz from the Milram continental team joins the team.  With the Belgian Classics specialists Roy Sentjens and Wim de Vocht, the team has won two strong performers for the one-day races in Belgium, the Netherlands and northern France.  In addition, veteran Australian Luke Roberts increases the quality and knowledge base of the ProTour team.

Back to Basics: „Be healthy, have fun and work professionally"

The new guidelines for the 2010 pro road cycling year were made clear last fall.  Ralf Grabsch will be responsible for race planning and the direct contact with the riders, while Christian Henn will take care of race analysis and strategic planning.  The German ProTour team has worked as comprehensively and painstakingly as never before, in various training camps, to lay the ground for a successful 2010 season.  In addition to the daily training rides on Mallorca, there were also team-building features.

„Be healthy, have fun and work professionally.  Our riders must concentrate on the basics," is how Gerry van Gerwen explained his „Back to Basics" philosophy, and at the same time appealed to his riders' sense of honor.  „A winner has a plan, a loser an excuse.  There shall be no more excuses."

The 24 Milram riders will have the opportunity to prove this in each and every of the about 250 race days that the 2010 pro season will consist of for the German team.  The first chance for the squad will be in the ProTour opener Tour Down Under in Australian later this month.  In addition to the 2010 Tour de France and the ProTour races, the team will prioritize the German stage and one day races this year.

2010 Team Milram roster:
Gerald Ciolek (23/GER), Wim De Vocht (27/BEL), Markus Eichler (27/GER), Robert Förster (31/GER), Markus Fothen (28/GER), Thomas Fothen (25/GER), Johannes Fröhlinger (24/GER), Artur Gajek (24/GER), Linus Gerdemann (27/GER), Roger Kluge (23/GER), Servais Knaven (38/NED), Christian Knees (28/GER), Dominik Nerz (20/GER), Luke Roberts (32/AUS), Dominik Roels (22/GER), Thomas Rohregger (27/AUT), Matthias Ruß (26/GER), Björn Schröder (29/GER), Roy Sentjens (29/BEL), Wim Stroetinga (24/NED), Niki Terpstra (25/NED), Paul Voß (23/GER), Fabian Wegmann (29/GER), Peter Wrolich (35/AUT)

The Team Milram Management for 2010:
Gerry van Gerwen (Team Manager/Netherlands), Marlies van Gerwen-Liebregts (Business manager VeloCity GmbH/Netherlands), Ralf Grabsch (Directeur Sportif/Germany) Christian Henn(Directeur Sportif/Germany) Vittorio Algeri (Directeur Sport/Italy), Jochen Hahn (Trainer/Assistant Directeur Sportif/Germany); Raoul Liebregts (Personnel Manager/Assistant Directeur Sportif/Netherlands).