Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Servais Knaven has to miss Classics season opener

Team Milram  will have to do without veteran Servais Knaven in the opener of the Spring Classics season.  The 37-year-old is suffering from a bad cold and will not be able to ride the half-classic Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (UCI 1.HC) on Saturday.  Knaven's start in  Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (UCI 1.1) is questionable.  The German ProTour Team Milram has nominated youngster Artur Gajek to replace the sick Dutchman.

„That is a bitter loss for our team,“ said Gerry van Gerwen, General Manager of Team Milram.  „Servais Knaven is the central figure in our Classics team.  He knows all of the routes in detail, and his assignment was to be to bring our riders with chances of winning into the right place at the right time.  Despite his loss we will still have a strong team at the start, which will surely not hide itself.“

„My cold was actually over, but since Wednesday it has gotten a lot worse again,“ said Milram's Servais Knaven.  „I have a fever and am pretty weak.  It doesn't make any sense to race.  It is really too bad, because we are all very motivated and this is the first big Belgian weekend of the season.“

Omloop Het Niuewsblad is being run for the 64th time this year, but for the first time under this name.  The traditional race, formerly known as „Omloop Het Volk“, runs over a 204.5 kilometer course with start and finish in Gent.   A total of 11 so-called „hillingen“, those short but steep climbs in the heart of the Belgian Classics region, including the Muur van Geraardsbergen, will have to be conquered before the riders come to the finish line.  On Sunday, March 1, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne runs over 193 kilometers.  Also here are a number of cobblestone passages as well as eight „hillinge“.


Team Milram at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne:
Gerald Ciolek (GER/Ermatingen,SUI), Markus Eichler (GER/Mönchengladbach), Thomas Fothen (GER/Kaarst), Artur Gajek (GER/Berg. Gladbach), Martin Müller (GER/Berlin), Niki Terpstra (NED/Haarlem), Martin Velits (SVK/Riemst,BEL), Peter Wrolich (AUT/Klagenfurt)
Directeur Sportif:  Christian Henn (GER)

Misschien ook interessant: