Hammond Ready for the Big One in Flanders
Story posted April 6, 2007;
Team Press Release
The T-Mobile Team’s British rider, Roger Hammond will be looking to make his mark on Easter Sunday at the Tour of Flanders, the biggest race of 2007 so far. The 259km race, famous for its winding route and cobbled climbs is a hugely prestigious event and doing well there is one of Hammond’s top objectives of the season.
Roger Hammond commented; “The Tour of Flanders is a big one for me. It has all the characteristics of the type of races I excel at and I’m feeling pretty confident in my current form. My fellow T-Mobile Team mates are also proving to be on top form at the moment so the Team will go into the race with a number of contenders for the podium.”
Hammond’s team-mates Kirchen and Marcus Burghardt will head-up the experienced T-Mobile roster at Sunday's race, both riders at the top of their game, are well prepared for everything the 259km cobbled classic can throw at them. Lorenzo Bernucci, Bernhard Eisel, Bert Grabsch and Servais Knaven will round-out the eight-strong roster.
"These guys can offer a lot of exercise, strength in depth and race knowledge - that’s critically important for this race especially, " says Allan Peiper, who will direct the team in Flanders together with Tristan Hoffman.
The 2007 ‘Ronde’ promises to be an exciting race, as always. 200 cyclists from 25 teams will tackle the winding route, the cobbles, the mud and the tricky climbs. It is cycling at its hardest, fast and furious, and no place for the faint-hearted. Starting in Brugge, the race boosts 18 Hellingen before it reaches its climax in Meerbeke after 259 kilometres.
The T-Mobile team for Tour of Flanders: Lorenzo Bernucci (27/Italy), Marcus Burghardt (23/Germany), Bernhard Eisel (26/Austria), Bert Grabsch (31/Germany), Roger Hammond (33/Great Britain), Kim Kirchen (28/Luxembourg), Andreas Klier (31/Germany), Servais Knaven (36/Netherlands).
Sporting directors: Tristan Hoffman (37/ Netherlands) und Allan Peiper (47/Australia)
