01-09-2008 17:22:33

After Brett Lancaster's opening win in the Deutschland Tour, Team MILRAM can continue to report good news.  The team has extended its contract with MILRAM captain Christian Knees through 2010. In addition, it announced three newcomers for the coming season:  Johannes Fröhlinger, Matthias Ruß and Thomas Rohregger.

„With Christian Knees we have been able to hold on to one of the important pillars of our team“, said team manager Gerry van Gerwen.  „And we are also happy for our three newcomers, who will really strengthen our future team.“

Christian Knees has developed into a team leader with stage race qualities during the 2008 season.  The contract extension is therefore a logical consequence of his most successful year as a pro.  This season he won the Bayern Rundfahrt, was second in the Sparkassen Giro Bochum and brought in further successes with his ninth place overall in the Tour de Suisse and his fifth-place finish in the difficult Tour de France stage from Toulouse to Bagnères-de-Bigorre.

The Austrian Thomas Rohregger, from Innsbruck, is a stage-race specialist transferring from Team Elk Haus-Simplon to MILRAM.  The 25 year-old has often proved his talent.  This year he won the Österreich Rundfahrt, which he ended as second in 2007 with a stage win.  In his first pro year of 2006, he was runner-up in the national time trial, and won the mountain jerseys in the Österreich Rundfahrt and the Tour of Luxembourg.

The two German riders Johannes Fröhlinger and Matthias Ruß are both coming from Team Gerolsteiner to MILRAM:  Both bring with them the experience of being helpers in stage races.  The 23 year-old Fröhlinger comes from Gerolstein in Germany's Eifel region, and has been a pro since 2007.  Matthias Ruß started as a stagiaire with Team Gerolsteiner in 2003.  The 24 year-old lives in Oberreid by Freiburg.