The 7th Garmin Velothon Berlin takes place later today with Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung taking to the start line. Last year Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) sprinted to the race victory with Andreas Stauff finishing in 8th position.

This year Kittel will not be riding but Stauff certainly will be, along with some other fast finishers like Sam Bennett (Nettapp-Endura) and Michael van Staeyen (Topsport Vlaanderen) too.

The course is predominantly flat and ends with 8 laps of an 8.9km circuit through the streets of Berlin, the total distance of the race is 184.6km. The race is definitely expected to finish in a mass sprint and so Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung have selected the team accordingly while still ensuring they have more than 1 card to play.

Stauff has been showing some good form of late with his top 10 in Dunkerque a just reward for his efforts. Gerald Ciolek is always an option in a sprint finish even if the German is not quite on top form yet. Jay Thomson, Martin Reimer and Songezo Jim will provide the fire power needed to reel in any breaks and position our fast men.

“In the Berlin race the teams are smaller than usual with only 6 riders per team. That means, that the race is harder to control and there is a bigger risk that a breakaway group can make it to the finish. We only have 5 riders at the start after many injuries or other reasons, like some riders needing a small break after a lot of tough racing,” DS Jens Zemke said.

“The Berlin race has a huge crowd and many cyclists will participate at the fun ride so it will once again be a great atmosphere in front of the famous Brandenburger Tor. We will be ready for different options during the race and to race in Germany is always special for our German riders, because there are only a hand full races left in our country this year,” he finished.

Line-up for the Garmin Velothon Berlin:
Jay Thomson, Andreas Stauff, Gerald Ciolek, Martin Reimer and Songezo Jim