Captain Linus Gerdemann and teammate Johannes Fröhlinger have recovered from the intestinal problems that forced them out of the Italian stage race Tirreno-Adriatico.

Gerdemann and Fröhlinger will be joined by German riders Christian Knees, Markus Fothen and Paul Voß, Australian Luke Roberts, Dutchman Niki Terpstra and Belgian Roy Sentjens on the 298 kilometers from the city of Milan to San Remo on the Mediterranean coast.

"Linus could be a surprise here," Christian Henn commented. "He won a stage with a similar profile at Tirreno-Adriatico 2010, even if the stage was only half as long as here.  And Luke Roberts is also in good form.  When everything works out, he can be near the front of such a long and challenging race.  Basically, we have a team that is good for a surprise, and we have no pressure on us because of all the riders missing due to injuries."

This coming Saturday Team Milram will have to do without two key riders.  Allrounder Fabian Wegmann must miss the race due to a broken collarbone, while fellow Team Milram captain Gerald Ciolek is recovering from a shoulder operation.  He is currently in an altitude training camp with physiotherapist Christian Neitzert doing cross-country skiing and rehabilitation exercises.

Milan-San Remo is the longest one-day race in professional road cycling, with a total distance of nearly 300 kilometers.  The race, affectionately known as "La classicissima", has been organized by the Gazetta dello Sport since 1907. The course has not changed much over the years.  The riders ride from Milan over the Turchino Pass. Especially spectacular and usually decisive are the small climbs near the end of the otherwise generally flat race. These small climbs include the Cipressa about 20 km before the finish and the Poggio de San Remo about 6 km from the finish line. Despite these two climbs, known as „Capi", the race has always come down to a mass sprint.

The record champion at La Primavera with seven wins is the Belgian "Cannibal" Eddy Merckx (1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976). Constante Girardengo is in 2nd place. With four victories (1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001) ex-Milram captain Erik Zabel is tied for third place on the all-time list together with Gino Bartali.

Team Milram start list for the 2010 Milan-San Remo:
Markus Fothen (GER/Kaarst), Johannes Fröhlinger (Freiburg im Breisgau), Linus Gerdemann (GER/Kreuzlingen), Christian Knees (GER/Euskirchen), Luke Roberts (AUS/Kerpen), Roy Sentjens (BEL/Nerpeelt), Niki Terpstra (NED/Haarlem), Paul Voß (GER/Bielefeld).
Sports Directors: Vittorio Algeri (ITA), Christian Henn (GER)

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for video highlights from the 2010 Milano-San Remo and for a full report, results and photos. Meanwhile, why not check out our advertisers?