Management

TEAM COLUMBIA - HIGH ROAD (THR) - USA

Team Columbia was the most successful team in 2008, winning 85 races thanks to a careful mix of experience and prodigious young talent.

André Greipel won four stages and the overall classification at the 2008 Tour Down Under then went on to finish fifth in the individual standings of the UCI ProTour. Mark Cavendish won 17 races and was the sprint revelation of the season. Both riders are expected to do even better in 2009 as they target the classics as well as sprints victories.

Team Columbia has riders from a multitude of different countries and also runs a powerful women’s team which won the UCI World Cup title.

American George Hincapie and Germany’s Marcus Burghardt are always classics contenders, while Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg can win both hilly UCI ProTour classics and the hardest stage races.

Marco Pinotti of Italy, former World Time Trial Champion Michael Rogers of Australia and current World Time Trial Champion Bert Grabsch make Team Columbia favourites for any team or individual time trial stage. They will also ensure that Greipel and Cavendish get a high-speed lead out in the sprints. The old riders also help and mentor the younger and Cavendish, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Thomas Lovkvist are expected to develop rapidly during 2009.

Team Columbia has a new yellow and white jersey for 2009 and have worked to strengthen its line-up by signing Maxime Monfort of Belgium, Michael Albasini of Switzerland and sprinter Mark Renshaw of Australia.

«Whether we win or lose, it is done as a team. I’m not just proud of our success, I’m proud of the way in which we achieve it. All of the victories were earned by a good collective effort - by the riders and the management » Team Manager Bob Stapleton said when presenting the team for 2009.