As the only German professional team, NetApp-Endura finds itself under pressure to perform in the biggest German race, Rund um den Finanzplatz, which takes place tomorrow. The team is ready for all eventualities as Ralf Matzka will focus on a sprint finish while Cesare Benedetti and Bartosz Huzarski will cover attacks on the hilly course.

 

Team NetApp – Endura will close out this year's classics season on May 1st at "Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt," a race steeped in tradition. Known for decades as "Rund um den Henninger Turm," the race is one of the top three single-day races in Germany. It covers a course of 202 kilometers through the Taunus mountain range.   For the past three years, a Team NetApp – Endura rider has managed to finish among the Top10 in Frankfurt. Following its win at "Rund um Köln," the highest-ranked German cycling team is self-confident going into the race.

 

"We're ready for attacks, which make the race difficult, as well as for a sprint from a bigger field. The goal should be to affirm our performance from the last year. Ralf will be especially motivated during the sprint. He'll be racing on home turf, and last year he made it into the Top10. Cesare displayed fine form recently in Liège, and he's certainly a candidate when it comes to a group taking off. On the other hand, for Paul and Daniel, Frankfurt will be a way to assess their current form – without any pressure at all – after coming back from injuries," explains André Schulze, Team NetApp – Endura Sport Director, looking ahead to the classic race.

 

The special thing about the classic race in the financial metropolis is the balanced course, which offers certain opportunities to every type of rider. The reason for that is that the so-called Taunus loop has many climbs but also offers the chance to catch up time and again. The same thing applies to the Mammolshain loop. Although the Mammolshainer climb, with a maximum incline of 26%, has to be crossed four times, making it just as demanding as even the most selective Belgian climbs, the 36.4 kilometers that follow on flat terrain down to the finish line could offer the sprint teams sufficient time after the final climb to bring their riders into a good position.

 

For NetApp – Endura, seeing how the two classics specialists, Paul Voss and Daniel Schorn, emerge from their time off due to injuries will be just as exciting as the outcome of the race. Both of them are staging a comeback on May 1st following a one-month break from racing after their serious crashes at Gent-Wevelgem.

 

NeatApp-Endura for Rund um den Finanzplatz:

Daniel Schorn, Michael Schwarzmann, Paul Voss, Cesare Benedetti, Bartosz Huzarski, Kilian Padour, Ralf Matzka and Scott Thwaites