Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung has the honour of starting the prestigious Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this weekend. The race is the traditional opener of the Classics season and a big motivation for many of the world’s top teams.
The team rode the race course on Wednesday, upon completing it, Head Directeur Sportif, Jens Zemke said, “We’ve had a good recon on the circuit, the sky was blue and we had cold winter temperatures but we could already feel the big interest in our team as we were followed by Belgium TV and some journalists.
“This will be the first Hors Categorie race for Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung and we want to earn respect from the crowd. Our colors are new in the peloton and we want to show that we are going for good results.”
Gerald Ciolek will again captain the team after a successful Trofeo Laigueglia last weekend where the German finished fifth. When quizzed on what would be a successful race for the team, Zemke said, “I would be happy if people say, ‘have you seen the African team? They are doing well.’ If nobody crashes and we can bring Gerald Ciolek in a good spot this would be great for us.”
Former Giro d’Italia stage Ignatas Konovalovas will also be on hand to share his experience with the younger riders.
“I know that I need to race a lot to get good condition, so I’m still missing a lot, but after last week’s race, I am very happy,” Konovalovas said.
“With guy like Gerald I think our focus is clear for the race. It will be to help him the best we can. We’ve already ridden the race route and seen the different details of the race and we’re motivated,” the Lithuanian concluded.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad lin up: Gerald Ciolek, Ferekalsi Debesay, Ignatas Konovalovas, Andreas Stauff, Martin Reimer, Youcef Reguigui, Kristian Sbaragli, Johann Van Zyl
Staff: Jens Zemke (Directeur Sportif), Bastian Buffel (Soigneur), Yvonne Houweling (Soigneur), Werner Lenk (Mechanic), Heiko Heinrici, (Mechanic).
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