Bastain Búrgel

One of the favourites for this year’s Tour de France, Germany’s Tony Martin, won the FBD RÁS in 2007. The team he led to victory on that occasion, Thuringer Energie, returns to the race this year with another very talented young line-up. Marcel Kittel, John Degenkolb, Jakob Steigmiller, Philipp Klein and Bastian Bürgel will together target the final yellow jersey, as well as the best young rider classification.

“Our objective is the overall standings and results on the several stages,” said directeur sportif Mario Kummer, a former Olympian who has worked with the T-Mobile and Astana teams.

Kittel (22) is one of Germany’s most promising young riders, winning the European time trial championships last year and finishing fourth in the under 23 world championship equivalent. His wins include stages in the Flèche du Sud and the Thuringen-Rundfahrt races.

Philipp Klein

Degenkolb (21) took a bronze medal in the under 23 world road race championships in Varese 2008, and has continued to gather strong results since. He was third in the 2009 Ronde Van Vlaanderen [Tour of Flanders] for under 23 riders, placed sixth this year, was second in the Under 23 Nations Cup event, La Côte Picardie and won a stage of the Tour de Bretagne.

Like Bürgel, Steigmiller is just 20 years of age. He took a silver medal in the time trial at the world junior championships in 2008, the same year he took three bronze medals at the European track championships. This year he was fifth on a stage of the Tour de Bretagne, and will be aiming to keep building form in advance of the FBD RÁS.

Klein (22) is a former world junior scratch race champion and this year netted third on a stage of the Cinturón Ciclista Internacional a Mallorca. The team is completed by Bürgel, who was fifth in the 2.2-ranked Mainfranken Tour last year.

Jakob Steigmiller

Race director Dermot Dignam was impressed by the team when it won the FBD RÁS in 2007, and believes another good display is in store. “As the results show, these riders are set to play a big part in cycling in the years ahead. They may be young, but will make a real impression in this year’s FBD RÁS and could well be in the running for the final yellow jersey. I’m looking forward to seeing them race here next month.”

This year’s FBD RÁS will begin on Sunday May 23rd and runs for eight days. It will be 1219 kilometres in length, crosses 24 tough categorised climbs, and features stage finishes in Dundalk, Carrick on Shannon, Oughterard, Tipperary, Seskin Hill/Carrick on Suir, Gorey, Kilcullen and Skerries.

Thus far, teams have been confirmed from Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, the USA, Britain and now Germany. More international teams will be announced in the final run-up to the race.

The 2.2-ranked event will be once again sponsored by FBD Insurances and supported by the Irish Sports Council.