One month after winning Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Simon Gerrans will return to action later this week when he lines up at the Bayern Rundfahrt. The Australian is one of three riders on the Orica-GreenEDGE roster that is going for stage wins in the five-day race.

Sport Director Dave McPartland has identified stage wins as the main aim for his seven rider squad at Bayern Rundfahrt. The five day tour in the Bavarian region of Germany includes two stages that could end in a bunch sprint, two days for the climber and an individual time trial.

“It’s a race that typically lacks flat,” said McPartland. “It’s always up and down all day. The course could be exposed to wind and rain. We saw that last year.”

Daryl Impey won stage two last year and assumed the race lead for one day before ultimately finishing just outside the top ten. He returns to the German tour this year and will be one of three ORICA-GreenEDGE riders specifically targeting stage results. The Australian outfit will also look to Simon Gerrans, in his first race since winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and Aidis Kruopis, who will target the flatter stages.

“As a whole, we are heading into this tour looking for stage wins,” said McPartland. “If hunting a stage win puts in a good position overall, that’s a bonus.”

“We come into this race with a bit of a mixed group,” added McPartland. “We have guys coming back from a break, guys coming off a block at altitude and guys returning from injury. We want to be realistic with our expectations.”

Orica-GreenEDGE for the Bayern Rundfahrt

Simon Gerrans, Daryl Impey, Aidis Kruopis, Simon Yates, Jens Mouris, Christian Meier, Sam Bewley