Team NetApp qualifes for the Tour of Flanders 2012
UCI Professional Continental side, Team NetApp has received the final wildcard invitation for the Tour of Flanders 2012.
The team’s performance at the Paris-Roubaix 2011 was enough to earn it a spot at this year’s Belgian classic.
The German team is looking ahead at a promising season, as it has also been invited to the Giro d’ Italia 2012.
Team Manager Ralph Denk was excited on hearing the news and he is optimistic that the side will not let him down during the coming events.
He cited, "This news is extra motivation for the classics riders at the start of the season. Every classics rider’s heart beats faster just thinking about the narrow streets, the cobblestones and the difficult climbs".
“Of course, once again, it will be a huge challenge for us. But we’ll get the team ready just as we did last year for Roubaix,” he concluded.
Tour of Flanders is scheduled on 1st April, 2012 and the cyclists will go through a gruelling distance of 254.4 kilometres between Brugge and Oudenaarde.
The Belgian classic this year features many mountains, namely, Nokereberg, Taaienberg, Eikenberg, Molenberg, Rekelberg, Berendries, Valkenberg, Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg, Koppenberg, Steenbeekdries and Nieuwe Kruisberg.
Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg, Hoogberg-Hotond, Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg will make it one of the most difficult editions of the race throughout the previous 95 editions.
The race started in 1913 and the Belgian cyclist Paul Deman was the first ever winner of the event, while the local Belgian hero Nick Nuyens succeeded at the Tour of Flanders 2011.
Johan Museeuw, Eric Leman, Achiel Buysse (all from Belgium) won the race for a maximum number of 3 times.
Fiorenzo Magni (Italian) also holds the honour of winning the monumental classic on 3 occasions.
Managing Director of the race, Nicolas Denys briefed that the inclusion of Jerome Baugnies have definitely strengthened the German side.
A total number of 25 teams will ride the Belgian race. All the WorldTour sides have automatically qualified for the event including seven professional continental teams.
Team Accent.jobs-Willems Veranda's, Team Farnese Vini-Selle Italia, Team Landbouwkrediet-Euphony, Team Project 1t4i, TeamTopsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, Team Europcar and Team NetApp are the seven wild card entries for the Tour of Flanders 2012.
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