Team HTC - Columbia's Latest News

HTC-Columbia Women Start 2010 in Qatar

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0800

HTC-Columbia Women's Team gets it's racing season underway in the Tour of Qatar next week, and they're aiming for a strong start to 2010.

"We've got a good group there, it often gets really windy in Qatar but they all know how to ride hard in the gutter and line out the bunch," comments HTC-Columbia sports director Ronny Lauke. "We'll be aiming for some early success just like last year. It's a very important race, and a stage win would lift the riders' confidence for the rest of the season."

Lauke says the three-day Qatar stage race may be one of the flattest events on the calendar, but the terrain is unusually demanding nonetheless. "The high winds and fast speeds make Qatar very technical, the riders have got to be well-placed in the peloton and stay focussed all the time. The heat's a big factor, too. The latest forecasts say it'll be nearly thirty degrees during the day, which is thirty degrees warmer than most of Europe.That's quite a difference."

HTC-Columbia achieved good results in Qatar last year. After getting in an early break on stage one, Ellen Van Dijk finished fourth overall, and won the Best Young Rider's prize.
Van Dijk is part of the team's line-up for Qatar this February, and Lauke says he expects the Dutchwoman and new signing Chloe Hosking will be battling it out in the field sprints.

"We did a lot of good training in Mallorca and the team has really come together as a unit. Now it's time to see how we compare with our rivals and what we can achieve."

HTC-Columbia line up for Tour of Qatar: Judith Arndt, Noemi Cantele, Chloe Hosking, Emilia Fahlin, Adrie Visser, Ellen Van Dijk

Greipel Wins His Second Tour Down Under

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:11:10 -0800

HTC-Columbia’s Andre Greipel secured his second overall win of the Santos Tour Down Under on Sunday becoming one of only two riders who have won the event more than once. Greipel won the race on his first attempt in 2008, crashed out in the leaders jersey in 2009 and came back in 2010 to win again, claiming 9 stage wins in Adelaide over the three years.

Greipel’s teammates controlled the fast and furious 90 minute circuit race in downtown Adelaide to ensure overall victory.

“I’m really happy to win again here and to take the ProTour lead,” said Greipel. “Of course I would have liked to have won the stage today because the team worked really hard but I am happy with the overall win.”

“It has been a great week. I really like coming here to race. It’s a nice way to start the season, especially when you win.”Team Director Allan Peiper was equally pleased with the week of racing.

“It was a fantastic combination of effort and work by everyone in the team who came here,” he said. “The whole team arrived two weeks before to get some solid training in for the race and Andre left his 15 day old baby to make sure he was ready. It all paid off with 3 stage wins and the GC.

“The boys were rock solid and worked really hard the whole week. It was fantastic racing and they were right on top of every critical moment to protect the race lead. We couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season.”

Greipel Maintains Race Lead After Mountain Stage at Tour Down Under

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:24:32 -0800

HTC-Columbia’s Andre Greipel survived the mountain stage at Tour Down Under to keep the race lead going into Sunday final stage in Adelaide.

The team controlled the race from the beginning and finally narrowed the gap to a break of four riders who attacked on the final climb at Willunga, finishing only nine seconds behind the race winner and giving Greipel an 11 second lead in the General Classification at the end of the day.

“I’m so thankful to my team,” said an exhausted Greipel after the stage. “Without them I wouldn’t be in the lead after today.

“All day the team worked at the front to keep the gap low to the first break. Then over the climb they really looked after me and we had to chase really hard all the way to the finish. We didn’t have time to panic. The break had 40 seconds. We just had to start chasing.

“The team has been working hard for me all week so I had to show them that I was thankful by really suffering to stay there on the climb today. Mick Rogers could have gone for his own victory today too but he wanted to stay with me and help me win the Tour.”

Tomorrow is a 90km circuit race in downtown Adelaide.

Greipel Claims Third Stage Down Under

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0800

HTC-Columbia’s André Greipel took his third stage win of the Santos Tour Down Under on Friday, increasing his overall lead of the tour going into the penultimate stage of racing. On a tough day of racing from Adelaide down to the coastal town of Goolwa, a bunch sprint saw Greipel sprint to victory ahead of Robbie McEwen and Graeme Brown.

“It was a very special day of racing and one that I’ll remember for a long time,” said Team Director Allan Peiper. “It was a day that proved the strength of the team and their ability to work together.”

“They were forced to ride at the front for the first 100km chasing the break,” he added. “Then they took a small rest during the headwind and moved back to the front when RadioShack attacked towards the end. They did all that work and then came together again to do a perfect lead out.”

Greipel was very happy with his third win of the week commending his teammates for their work.

“We knew it was going to be a windy day but I had teammates at the front all day and we were well protected.”

“Before the first sprint we picked up the speed to make sure the break didn’t get too much time,” he explained. “We stopped riding at 50km to go to save some energy and some other teams did some work. RadioShack put it in the gutter with about 10km to go so we went back to the front. With 5km to go we brought them back and stayed at the front until the finish. The guys did the perfect lead out and no-one could come around us.”

“We feel good. Tomorrow will be a hard day but the guys will look after me on the hills and hopefully we can stay in the front group.”

Cavendish Changes Season Start

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0800

HTC-Columbia's Mark Cavendish will change his 2010 season start and begin in Ruta del Sol on February 21 due to an ongoing dental problem that has limited his training.

"We want to take all precautions and ensure that Mark has fully recovered and is able to get in some extra base training for the long season ahead of him," says Team Manager Rolf Aldag. "His season goals remain the same and he is looking forward to performing as planned in major Spring races like Milan-San Remo and Flanders before his focus shifts toward the stage racing."

Greipel Wins Second Consecutive Stage of Tour Down Under

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:23:31 -0800

HTC-Columbia’s André Greipel won his second consecutive stage of the Santos Tour Down Under on Wednesday, sprinting into the small German heritage town of Hahndorf for his seventh stage victory of the Tour out of the eleven he has raced over the last three years.

A break of three were away for the majority of the race earning a time gap of 11 minutes but eventually being reeled in by the peloton.

“It was a good day for us because we didn’t need to put a lot of effort in to chase the break down during the race,” explained Greipel. “We wanted to let the break succeed today and save our energy for the harder stages coming up.

“However the other teams were keen to get the break back and did the work so we also helped a little. Towards the end of the race the team came together as a unit for the lead out and Goss did the final pull for me. It’s nice to win here again.

“The climb during the race was quite difficult, especially because of the heat but the guys looked after me and we stayed in the front over the climb. Tomorrow will be a hard day but we’re ready to give it everything.”

HTC-Columbia Completes Training Camps in Mallorca

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0800

While HTC-Columbia's Andre Greipel leads the Tour Down Under in Australia, the men's and women's teams wrap up their second and final training camp for the 2010 season, with the riders and staff highly satisfied by the two-week camp in Mallorca, Spain. The 2010 men's team complete their camp on Wednesday while the women's team will stay on the Spanish island through Saturday.

"We got everything we wanted out of this camp and we're happy with the result," HTC-Columbia's team manager Rolf Aldag said. "The weather has been bad throughout Europe, so we were right to come training here in Mallorca. We had to delay one day's training by one hour and it was cold at the beginning of the camp but otherwise there were no compromises."

"We've laid some very valuable groundwork here," HTC-Columbia women's team manager Ronny Lauke added. "The new riders and veteran members of the team have gotten to know each other well, we've completed all the logistical work that was needed, and we've done a lot of training rides - up to six hours - as well. Morale is high and we're ready to go. We're very optimistic."

Following the Tour Down Under in Australia, rosters from both the women's and men's teams will head to Qatar in the Middle East in early February for HTC-Columbia's next races.

Greipel Takes First Win of Season

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:14:14 -0800

HTC-Columbia’s Andre Greipel has repeated his performance of the last two years, winning the first stage and earning the ‘ochre’ leader’s jersey of the Santos Tour Down Under. Greipel finished off the work of his teammates to win in a bunch sprint at the end of the 141km stage from Clare to Tanunda in South Australia.

“It’s very nice to start the season this way,” said a happy Greipel after the stage. ‘We took control of the race and my teammates did a very good job to get me to the finish in good position.”

“Starting with Grabschy [Bert Grabsch] who did a lot of work to bring the break back during the race and finishing with the rest of the team who set me up for the sprint at the end, it was a very good day,” he added.

“At seven kilometers to go we started to build up for the finish which was a little early so it wasn’t until three kilometers to go that we really started. Matt Goss had a broken spoke so was one of the first in the lead out rather than the last and Bernie [Eisel] kept me out of trouble at the end. Liquigas started the sprint and I waited until the last moment to come around.”

“Tomorrow is another flat stage and could be another sprint,” he added, “but after that we have a few hard stages which will be harder to control. However we have a strong team and we will try our best.”

HTC-Columbia Hones Team Time Trialling Skills

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0800

At HTC-Columbia's training camp in Mallorca, Spain, on Wednesday, the men's squad spent the early part of the day working on improving their team time trialling skills. The HTC-Columbia riders split into two groups for the team time trialling sessions, which included all-out efforts over a fifteen kilometre circuit. After the morning's time trialling sessions and changing back to their road bikes, the riders then split into three groups for training rides of between four and a half and five hours training.

"It's the first of three tough days' training," said HTC-Columbia sports director Tristan Hoffman. "The team time trial was the first time they've gone really deep, so we only did one hard climb afterwards. They've got two more big training days ahead of them and we want them to be fresh for tomorrow."

"For the team time trial, we put most of the Tour of Qatar guys together, but the two group were pretty much evenly matched, finishing within 25 seconds of each other. It looked good. But today wasn't about having them really compete against each other, anyway. It's more about getting the feel for that kind of racing again."

On Thursday the HTC-Columbia riders may head to Mallorca's higher mountains, "but that depends a bit on the weather," cautioned Hoffman. "Today it was warm, which was perfect. The guys are looking motivated and fit, and it feels like we're all heading in the right direction."

HTC-Columbia Aiming For Success in 2010

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0800

Following two consecutive winning seasons, HTC-Columbia presented its 2010 squad with a clear focus on success today at a team presentation in Mallorca, Spain. Team management and the 30 riders in attendance projected ambitious goals for both their men's and women's teams.

"HTC-Columbia has been the team with the most wins for two years in a row," said team manager Rolf Aldag during the presentation, "And whenever I think about the future I think about how we can continue this story. We stick together and work together as a team, and I believe that in 2010 we can do it again."

The event began with a short review of the 2009 season, in which the two teams notched up a total of 132 victories by twenty-two different riders. Aldag and women's team manager Ronny Lauke introduced the HTC-Columbia riders, underscoring each athlete's career highlights and the strengths they bring to the team.

Martin Barnard of Right to Play, the international charity which uses sport to tackle the problems of children of war-torn and poverty-stricken nations, presented a video featuring the volunteer work of HTC-Columbia riders Ina-Yoko Teutenberg [GER], Craig Lewis [USA], and Evelyn Stevens [USA]. Team HTC-Columbia is proud to support Right To Play for the third year running.

The team launch concluded with a photo session and a series of one-to-one interviews with the international broadcast and print media in attendance.

HTC-Columbia Hits The Road With Training Camp In Mallorca

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0800

HTC-Columbia’s training camp in Mallorca entered its third full day on Monday with the nineteen riders completing their training schedules despite the bad weather. “We delayed the start by an hour because it was wet and cold but that was the only change to the day’s program,” said HTC-Columbia team manager Rolf Aldag. “There was no point in risking them getting ill because of the weather.” The main aim of the HTC-Columbia training camp, Aldag says, is “very straightforward. We have a big day for our partners and the media on Tuesday and we’ll pay a lot of attention to that, but we're also here to get on with riding our bikes."

The team has already done a lot of the groundwork for the 2010 season with a training camp in Lanzarote in December. According to Aldag this second camp is more focussed on bringing the riders' race fitness up another level. “Lanzarote was about everybody, old and new guys on the team, getting to know each other. We had big apartments with six riders in each, instead of the usual double rooms. Now we want to get the riders in shape for the upcoming races and give them a strong base for the whole season.”

“Today we moved the start to training forward an hour, but we did a big work load yesterday [Sunday], riding for an hour longer yesterday because the weather forecast for Monday was so bad. Even so, they all completed between four and five hours, one group working with the time trial bikes. As it’s only the third full day of training, it was still all fairly straightforward.”

On Monday the HTC-Columbia women’s squad joined the training camp. “This is one of the few chances we get to have the full team here together,” Aldag points out, “and that’s an advantage to the camp for both the riders and the staff. It's also an ideal opportunity for our partners to collaborate with our staff before the start of the 2010 season."

The HTC-Columbia Mallorca training camp started on January 8th and finishes on January 20th.

HTC-Columbia Scores First Win of 2010 in Australia

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 11:16:06 -0800

New HTC-Columbia recruit Chloe Hosking has hit the ground running, taking the team's first victory of the new season in the Australian Criterium Championships.

Despite being caught up in a mid-race crash, Hosking finished well clear of the pack in a field sprint at the end of a fast and furious thirty-lap criterium in Ballarat, Australia. Hosking's lightning charge for the line earned her both a silver medal in the overall event, as well as an emphatic victory in the Under-23 category. The senior category was taken by lone breakaway Carly Light.

Thanks to her win in the U-23 event and the runner's up position overall, the 19-year-old HTC-Columbia rider has now claimed her first ever medals in any Australian national road category. HTC-Columbia can mark the win as it's first of the 2010 racing season.

HTC-Columbia Receives Best Team of 2009 in Reader Poll

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:32:24 -0800

Team HTC-Columbia took top honors in the "Best Team" category in a recent 2009 Cyclingnews reader poll. The international team- which won 132 races by 22 riders in 2009- received an overwhelming 51 percent of the votes cast by 14,070 Cyclingnews readers, affirming the team's dominance of the 2009 road season.

The "Best Team" achievement follows a string of 2009 awards presented to HTC-Columbia, and coincides with the team's 2010 preparations at training camp in Mallorca, Spain.

To read the complete story, please visit www.cyclingnews.com.

HIgh Road Sports Looks to Continue Success in 2010 as Team HTC-Columbia

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0800

"We have enjoyed tremendous success winning 285 races in 2008 and 2009 with our men's and women's cycling teams. For 2010, we are proud to again represent two innovative and industry leading international companies- HTC and Columbia Sportswear," said team owner Bob Stapleton.

The team, which includes 39 male and female athletes from 18 different countries, began racing on January 6th with the Australian and New Zealand National Championships. For 2010 the team will be known as Team HTC-Columbia and race in an updated version of the highly visible yellow, white and black jersey that debuted so successfully in the 2009 Tour de France with six stage wins and 26 podium appearances.

"We are very pleased with the powerful entrance of the HTC brand into cycling at the Tour de France in 2009. With six stage wins at the Tour and many other victories by this team's men and women throughout the rest of the season, it was a valuable part of our successful global brand launch," says HTC Corporation CEO, Peter Chou.

Columbia Sportswear enters in its third season as a major sponsor of the team. "Team HTC-Columbia was named the number one team by cycling influencers in 2009 and features a roster of exceptional athletes. We are looking forward to another outstanding year for the riders of Team HTC-Columbia in 2010," says Tim Boyle, CEO of Columbia Sportswear.

The team training camp begins on the Island of Mallorca, Spain today.

Greipel Focuses on Good Times Down Under

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0800

Columbia-HTC's Andre Greipel, the overall winner of the 2008 Tour Down Under, will be aiming for a repeat performance in 2010. After winning the Tour Down Under outright one year, then crashing badly in the same event in 2009, the Columbia-HTC sprinter recalled, "Last year I had some bad luck, although I did win the first stage. However, I don't expect to have that bad luck again. When I race, I'll definitely be thinking about 2008 more than 2009. Every race is different, but I hope I can win at least one stage." Greipel's accident on the third stage of the Tour Down Under last January caused an old shoulder injury to flare up and he was out of racing for nearly four months.

Greipel's off-season training has consisted of "the same program as the last two years, both of which went very well for me." In 2008, he won 15 races, and in 2009, despite his long spell out of racing, he won twenty. "The Tour Down Under in 2008 was the first time I could have real ambitions for myself, so it's a race I remember with a lot of affection. You could say Australia made me."

"It's a much more competitive event than it used to be. In 2008 the riders were still fairly relaxed but in its second ProTour year in 2009, even in the two stages I raced I could tell it was much tougher."

Greipel traveled to Australia on January 2nd and after looking over the 2010 World Championships circuit in Melbourne, he and his Columbia-HTC teammates will head for Adelaide. "Adapting to the time difference is crucial, but so is good training beforehand. Marcel [Sieberg] and I will be down for breakfast in the hotel at 6:00 a.m and out training at 6:30 in the morning to avoid the heat. I've found that's the best way to do it, and long-term it really pays off."

Columbia-HTC for Tour Down Under: Bernhard Eisel [AUT]; Matt Goss [AUS]; Bert Grabsch [GER]; Andre Greipel [GER]; Leigh Howard [AUS]; Michael Rogers [AUS]; Hayden Roulston [NZL]; Marcel Sieberg [GER].

Roulston Wins Vineyards in Prep for Tour Down Under

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:42:16 -0800

Wearing his new Columbia-HTC jersey for the first time, Hayden Roulston won Nelson’s Tour de Vineyards as part of his preparation for this Sunday’s RaboPlus Elite National Road Race and the Santos Tour Down Under in Adelaide.

Roulston began training again in early December with a focus on doing well in the Elite
National Road Race in Christchurch before heading over to Adelaide to prepare to race with Columbia-HTC in the first pro tour event of the season that starts on the 17th of January. “I enjoyed riding in Nelson,” Roulston said. “”I trained either side of each stage and got some good miles and training in the legs for nationals and Adelaide. It was great to get some tough racing in and I’m looking forward to Sunday and heading over to Australia to race in the Tour Down Under for the first time.”

It was on the stage three climb up Takaka Hill that saw Roulston take the yellow jersey in
Nelson. He finished the 130 kilometre stage 21 seconds behind the winner George Bennett, but moved one second in front of him on General Classification. Finishing safely in the lead bunch on the final tough Richmond circuit yesterday saw him stay clear of Bennett, who won the under 23 title.

“It wasn’t an easy win. I was here basically with one rider helping me out, Marc Ryan, up
against the other teams. It does make life a bit tougher, whether you’ve ridden the Tour de France or not, but that’s what I needed, some tough race miles. My focus is now firmly on Sunday's nationals race. I am very keen to perform well. It’s great that it’s in Christchurch and I’m lucky as I do know the climb well. It’s a hard climb, and it will be a very hard race.”

”It is still early in the season for me," added Roulston, "but having the nationals in January does mean you have to put in the early training and effort to race that event well and riding in Nelson was an important component for nationals and the Tour Down Under.”

Columbia-HTC Voted Best Team of 2009 by Industry Insiders

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:37:01 -0800

Team Columbia-HTC continues to be honored for a winning 2009 season by earning 12 out of 16 votes for "Best Team of 2009" by an international panel of industry insiders selected by Cyclingnews.com. In a three-part summary of the year's highlights, Columbia-HTC was ranked number one by nearly all of the participating panelists.

"Columbia-HTC [is] such a strong team on so many fronts," commented Rupert Guinness of the Sydney Morning Herald. "They seemed to feed off every win, and their enthusiasm never waned. Watching them genuinely savour their victories and thank their teammates was terrific to watch. Peter Cossins, contributing editor to Procycling Magazine noted, "Whether it was their men or women, they hoovered up the victories like no team has since Mapei in their pomp."

Highlighting the team's 132 season victories, Cyclingnews US Editor Laura Weislo pointed to Team Columbia-HTC's men and women. "Who can argue that a team that wins so many races doesn't deserve this title?"

Columbia-HTC also received three out of four contributing editors' votes for Best 2009 Team by Cycle Sport Magazine.

To read the complete story on Cyclingnews, go to www.cyclingnews.com

Rogers Targets Australian Road Race Title

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0800

Columbia-HTC’s Michael Rogers says he has ‘unfinished business’ with the Australian National Road Race title, an event in which he took the silver medal last year. “Ten years ago people might have said ‘what jersey is that?’ when they saw the Australian National Champion, but not any more. It’s a very prestigious jersey to wear, and everyone knows that. Last year in the race there was a bit of an unexpected sprint, and I missed out, so there’s definitely some sort of ‘unfinished business’.”

Rogers says he has had his best off-season ever, reaching all his training targets throughout the November and December period. “I did about 100 days racing in 2009, both the Giro and the Tour, so I stopped straight after the World Championships, had a good long rest, and then got into training for 2010.”
“I’ve worked really well. I’m three kilos lighter than I was this time last year, and I’ve built up some very good endurance. Hopefully it will be a hard race, because that will suit me better.”

The defending Australian National Time Trial champion, this year Rogers will be focusing only on the 163-kilometre road race on January 10th. His Columbia-HTC teammates Leigh Howard and Matt Goss will also be taking part. “It’s a very tough course, not overly long but long enough, and although there’s just the one climb, we do it sixteen times and it’s usually very hot, too. It’ll be a race of attrition. For the Australian amateurs the Nationals is their last event of the season and they’re all in great shape, so it’s very hard to control. And of course, if they beat the professionals they get a lot of bragging rights! But with the team we’ve got there, we’ve certainly got the force and talent to acheive a good result.”

Renshaw's Gradual Recovery Underway

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:29:29 -0800

Mark Renshaw is "showing good initial progress" in his recovery after being diagnosed with Epstein-Barr in early December, said Team Columbia-HTC doctor Helge Riepenhof.

Renshaw, who was a key part of Team Columbia-HTC's 2009 record success of 85 victories, skipped training camp in December and will continue his recuperation during the first races of the season. The team is closely monitoring his condition and his blood tests already show improvement.

"We don't see his 2010 season goals in any danger," said Team Manager Rolf Aldag. "He would have loved to race in Tour Down Under but we are confident that he will once again show great performances in the Grand Tours as a lead out for Mark Cavendish, and that he will be just as strong as he was this year.

"He may even be fresher for the second half of the season, when the World Championships take place in his home country," he added.

While resting from heavy training, Renshaw has been active in the community, organizing an event to raise money for Prostate cancer.

Guldhammer to Hone Climbing Talent with Columbia-HTC

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:31:52 -0800

"The fact that I'm a climber is always at the back of my mind," is 20-year-old Rasmus Guldhammer's simple description of himself as a bike rider. It's also one of the reasons why Columbia-HTC has signed him as a new professional for 2010.

Born in Denmark, Guldhammer discovered he was exceptionally good at riding fast up mountains while on holiday with his parents in Italy one summer. "I'm tall and skinny so everybody said I should be good at climbing, but back home in Denmark it's pretty flat and it's not easy to find those hills. Once I found out I could do it, though, I quickly found out how nice it is to go hard up climbs with the rest of the field just clinging on behind, too!"

The rest of the amateur field say they have often witnessed Guldhammer's talent - the hard way. As American Tejay Van Garderen, due to turn pro with Columbia-HTC this season, says "we've all got used to seeing Rasmus's back wheel on the climbs!" Last year Guldhammer won in races as challenging as the Under-23 Liege-Bastogne-Liege Classic and the GP Portugal. He also finished fourth in the Tour of Denmark, where he took the Best Young Rider award. Columbia-HTC manager Rolf Aldag was quick to notice, and after a four-hour meeting, Guldhammer signed for 2010. "You always think you're not good enough, but this year I moved up a whole level, and I decided, just like that, that I was going to become a pro," he explains.

Born and bred in the town of Velje, Guldhammer had plenty of opportunities to watch the professional climbers in action as a teenager. Velje reguarly plays host to the biggest stage of the Tour of Denmark, and one of the country's few really steep climbs, which often features that day, is near Guldhammer's home. "So many people come to that stage it's like it's the Tour de France. The climb itself is only 500 metres long, but the gradient's 21 percent and it's so packed out with fans you could be standing on Alpe D'Huez." Guldhammer was one of those spectators on that climb for many years, along with his father, who used to cycle himself. "He was Danish amateur champion in 1989 and even though he never turned pro, he's always encouraged me to do what I wanted as an athlete. He still gives me training advice. He told me not to overdo it, because if I turned pro. I would have a tough enough time then. He was right - I've already noticed in my first training rides with Columbia-HTC in Spain that's it ten or fifteen percent harder!"

Back in his amateur days, in the evenings and between races, Guldhammer would concentrate on studying economics. "Fortunately my course tutors were very understanding. They would send me the homework by email and I'd do it between races. I always thought I'd go into business if my professional career didn't work out. For now, though, I'm more than happy to see what I can do with Columbia-HTC."