Team Stölting Service Group have announced their line-ups for the Tour of Norway and Velothon Wales.

On Wednesday, Team Stölting Service Group lines up at the Tour of Norway. The five-day stage race is concentrated in the south eastern part of the country near the capital Oslo.

The 173.4 km stage 1 from Drammen to Langesund travels along the Oslofjord and Skagerrak coast and is likely to end in a mass sprint. The following three stages, carbon-copies of stages from last year's race, are more challenging. Stage 2 from Kragerø to Rjukan is the longest of the race at 211 km and includes several climbs, with the 1265m, category 1 Flisetjønnsskaret cresting with 19 km to the finish the main difficulty.

Stage 3 from Rjukan to the ski resort of Geilo traverses the eastern Hardangervidda with two category 1 climbs along the way. The finish after 168 km is at the top of a 2.3 km, category 2 climb. The next day, Flå is the starting point for the 174 km stage 4. The profile is relatively flat, but in the finishing town of Hønefoss there are four ascents of a 1.6 km climb to be tackled on the finishing circuits. The final stage visits the eastern shore of the Oslofjord, starting in Drøbak and finishing with what will probably be a sprint in Sarpsborg after 163 km.

Team Stölting Service Group brings a balanced squad to its first ever race in Norway. The experienced Linus Gerdemann (GER) will be road captain for the team, but could also ride his own chance in the mountains. Gerald Ciolek (GER) is a card for the sprints while Fabian Wegmann (GER) could contest the finishes on stages 3 and 4. Young German, Lennard Kämna, supported his teammates at the recent Flèche du Sud and could test his climbing legs here. Rasmus Quaade (DEN) is in good form as shown by a ninth place overall at the 4 Jours de Dunkerque, while Mads Pedersen (DEN) comes back to racing reinvigorated after a break following his successful classics campaign.

"We have a strong team here in Norway so I think that we can have a good race and take our opportunities as they come," explained Sports Director for the race, Jochen Hahn (GER). "We're coming into the race without a designated single captain – everyone will have their opportunities and we will try for stage results and then see how the race for GC develops.

"The race situations here depend quite a bit on the weather conditions. The key stage would normally be stage two with the race's main climb, but before there has been a headwind on the descent and the race has come back together. We will see how the racing goes and take it day by day."

Line-up
Gerald Ciolek (GER)
Linus Gerdemann (GER)
Lennard Kämna (GER)
Mads Pedersen (DEN)
Rasmus Quaade (DEN)
Fabian Wegmann (GER)

Sunday sees Team Stölting Service Group in the United Kingdom for the Velothon Wales one-day race. Held for the second time, the race starts and finishes in the Welsh capital of Cardiff.

After a sportive takes to the roads in the morning, the pros will start their race in the early afternoon, setting out on a hard 174 km course through south Wales. The Tumble, known from a 2014 Tour of Britain mountain stage, will have to be climbed twice while the final consists of three ascents of Caerphilly Mountain before the run-in to Cardiff.

Team Stölting Service Group sends a young team to Great Britain, with Romain Lemarchand (FRA) the oldest rider on the roster at 28 years old. He and Rasmus Guldhammer (DEN) will oversee a squad of talented youngsters. Christian Mager (GER) won the jersey for the most aggressive rider at the Flèche du Sud in Luxembourg, Alexander Kamp (DEN) is determined to put an injury-ridden spring behind him, and Lasse Norman Hansen (DEN) is slowly stepping up his preparations for the Rio Olympic track races. If the race should come down to a sprint, Michael Carbel (DEN) will be the team's card to play.

Sports Director André Steensen (DEN) says: “We're looking forward to racing in Wales. The narrow roads and sharp climbs made for a good race last year, and we hope for more of the same this time. We come with a varied line-up that has several cards to play and want to use our form for a good result.”

Line-up

Michael Carbel (DEN)
Rasmus Guldhammer (DEN)
Alexander Kamp (DEN)
Romain Lemarchand (FRA)
Christian Mager (GER)
Lasse Norman Hansen (DEN)