13.05.2019 World-Tour, News, Race news

The team debuts at Vuelta a Burgos

We will race for the first time at Vuelta a Burgos, a four-day stage race from 16 to 19 May around the city of Burgos, Spain. The team’s roster will be Alena Amialiusik, Tanja Erath, Rotem Gafinovitz, Ella Harris, Hannah Ludwig and Christa Riffel.

Read what each rider has to say about the upcoming tour.

Alena Amialiusik

“After finishing the spring races on a high with a nice result in Liége-Bastogne-Liége, I’m feeling good going into this next period of hilly stage races. We have a nice group to race in Burgos. I hope I can make my teammates feel relaxed and that together we can go for a stage win and a good result on the general classification.”

Tanja Erath

“Since it´s a smaller race I expect a lot of aggressive racing. I hope that we are able to create something as a team with good teamwork and an active style of racing. I hope we are animating the race and being in charge of it.”

“My main goal for the tour is to improve my climbing skills under racing conditions. After Tour de Yorkshire I actually feel pretty strong in training and had some good hours on the bike and in the gym. So I can´t wait to put that on the road. In a ‘smaller’ race I want to be less intimidated and gain some confidence for the upcoming races and the rest of the season.”

“I look most forward to the first stage since it’s the longest and a rather flat stage, but still having a categorised climb in it. I like that it’s not ending in a final climbing battle like stage 2 and 3. But also stage 4 looks to be really exciting with a first undulating 40km and a late long climb with an even longer descent and a flat finish. This stage seems to have it all!”

Rotem Gafinovitz

“I’m looking forward to race Vuelta a Burgos for the first time. Although some stages are short, I think it will still be a hard tour. I’ll aim to give my best to our team plans and I’m excited to be back racing with my team after being with Israeli national team last race.”

Ella Harris

“To be honest, I really have no idea what to expect at Vuelta a Burgos. The races I have competed in so far in Europe have had more high-profile teams present, so I’m unsure how the dynamic and style of racing will be in Burgos. It will be a new experience.”

“I’d like to really use this tour to race with confidence and aggression, and to try things that I haven’t been able to when some of the world’s best are present. I believe the tour will be a valuable opportunity to continue developing my understanding of riding as a team, and to reflect and improve on how I race from stage to stage.”

“I’m looking forward to every stage really. They all look quite undulating and are relatively short so that keeps things interesting. Stage 3 looks particularly cool as it finishes up a short climb albeit fairly gradual, and stage 4 should be an excellent final day with nearly 1000m of elevation in 85km. I’m excited to get stuck into some more hillier racing as I feel like I missed a good opportunity in Yorkshire to climb at my best.”

Hannah Ludwig

“Germany is experiencing the coldest May in 140 years. So, I expect and hope for some warm conditions in Spain! Besides that, I assume it will be quite hilly. The start list promises a speedy, competitive and aggressive race with maybe – due to the team constellations – some unexpected moves and unpredictable team tactics.”

“Right now I feel more confident compared to the start of the season. I would love to race a bit more bravely and I will try to show what I learned during these first few months of my first pro season. For sure, I will try to be supportive to our team leader.”

Christa Riffel

“I am looking forward to the tour as I have never raced in this part of Spain before. I think we can expect an exciting tour. Every stage has some proper climbs and some with an uphill finish can suit the real climbers.”

“My goal will be supporting our climber during the stage race and hopefully I can do a good lead out for the flat finishes. I also will not hesitate to go into a breakaway! I especially like the last stage because it will be the most exciting as the GC will have the potential to still change.”