Team Columbia High Road 2009 Preview
Cycle Team Columbia High Road's Riders and Aims for 2009
Mar 8, 2009
With the 2009 cycle road racing season about to heat up in Europe with the Spring Classics imminent, here is the low - down on Team Columbia High Road
Who are Team Columbia – High Road?
The team is owned by US company High Road Sports Inc. The title sponsor – Columbia – manufacture clothing for outdoor pursuits. Other partners include Oakley, Shimano and Scott who provide the team with their bike frames.
The team's manager is Bob Stapleton, a US born telecommunications entrepreneur. The management team also comprises of former riders Rolf Aldag and Allan Peiper.
The team has been at the forefront of cycling's anti-doping movement, installing its own, in-house rigorous testing procedures.
Who are Team Columbia High Road's Riders?
Columbia High Road has a wealth of talent at its disposal and the number one rider very much depends on the type of race and the aims of the team within it.
In Mark Cavendish the team boast without doubt the fastest sprinter in the professional ranks. The rider from the Isle of Man took 17 victories during the 2008 season, winning multiple stages in both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France.
American George Hincapie is the team's major hope in the classics and normally features strongly, particularly in Paris – Roubaix but he has never won it – yet. The team will be hoping that he can put this right in 2009.
Columbia High Road's main hope in the Grand Tours will be Kim Kirchen. Kirchen, from Luxembourg, wore Yellow during the 2008 Tour and will hope he can repeat this feat in 2009, although he shouldn't trouble the favourites for overall victory. In addition Michael Rogers, who had an injury plagued 2008 should be back and will be aiming for high placings in multi stage races.
Team Columbia High Road's full roster:
Michael Albasin; Michael Barry; Marcus Burghardt; Mark Cavendish; Gert Dockx; Bernhard Eisel; Bert Grabsch; Andre Greipel; Edvald Boasson Hagen; Adam Hansen; Greg Henderson; George Hincapie; Kim Kirchen; Craig Lewis; Thomas Lovkvist; Tony Martin; Maxime Monfort; Marco Pinotti; Morris Possoni; Frantisek Rabon; Mark Renshaw; Vicente Reynes; Michael Rogers; Marcel Sieberg; Kanstantsin Sivtsov
How Did Columbia – High Road Perform in 2008?
Columbia – High Road was the top performing team in the world in terms of victories, taking 69 wins in the season, easily outperforming their nearest rival Team Quick Step. Highlights of the year were Cavendish's four victories in the Tour de France and wins for Kim Kirchen and the now transferred Linus Gerdemann in Fleche Wallonne and Tour of Germany respectively.
What Are the Targets for Columbia High Road in 2009?
The team will trust that Cavendish can repeat and even build on his fantastic 2008 season by picking up stage victories in multi-stage races throughout the year. Providing he avoids injury it is difficult to see anyone beating him in a straight sprint to the line and so long as the team can deliver him safely somewhere near the front of the pack with 150 metres to go, he'll win.
Expect him to pick up wins in any grand tour he enters and perhaps even be in with a shout for the Tour's Green Jersey or even a minor classic win (Gent-Wevelgem perhaps), although it may be a year or two too soon for him.
Columbia High Road will also aim for good performances from George Hincapie in Paris-Roubaix and Michael Rogers and Kim Kirchen in the Tour. Victory in the newly returned Team Time Trial in the 2009 Tour also presents a tantalising prospect for the team, one they will surely pursue with relish.
References
Cycle Sport Magazine, April 2009
Team Columbia High Road Website
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