The German ProContinental team NetApp-Endura has declared participation in the Tour de France as its major season goal. "The Tour de France is our clearly defined objective. With our successes at the Vuelta a España, we demonstrated the potential of this team. Year after year, we have set ourselves higher goals, and we have always justified this with results. Therefore, it is only logical that we are now striving for participation in the biggest race of the year ," announced team manager Ralph Denk today on the Raubling-based team's website.
Should NetApp-Endura receive a wildcard for the Tour de France, it would mark the first time since 2010 that a German team has participated in cycling's premier event. "Our story is unique. Within just a few years, we've managed to develop riders from amateur level into guarantors of success in the biggest races. The fact that all our key riders remain with us despite WorldTour offers speaks for itself. This continuity is crucial to our confidence in our ability to compete in the Tour ," Denk continued.
The first highlight of the season is expected to be participation in the Tirreno-Adriatico spring tour. Vuelta stage winner Leopold König will also be using the race to gain valuable experience. "Unfortunately, I couldn't participate last year. With its individual and team time trials, as well as the mountain finish in the Cittareale ski resort, Tirreno-Adriatico suits me. With this team behind me, I'm confident I can finish in the top 10 and perhaps even cause an early surprise in the season ," said the Czech rider.
The 2014 season holds a challenging race calendar for NetApp-Endura. "We'll start racing at the beginning of February. The Classics enthusiasts can look forward to a packed program in the spring. I hope we'll race three Monuments and also have a new WorldTour Classic on the calendar this year ," Denk said optimistically. The team will announce further details in the coming weeks.