Cycling: This morning the new German team Giant-Alpecin invited to the French embassy in Berlin for a team presentation. The rush of press and celebrities was huge. Among others, tour boss Christian Prudhomme, UCI President Brian Cookson and the Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maass were present. We have summarized some of the most important statements.
Iwan Spekenbrink (Manager Giant Alpecin)
“Today is an important day for cycling: the first WorldTour team in Germany for five years. The team will continue to work with the young drivers and grow step by step in a professional environment - true to our motto: Keep Challenging. We will also take care of the training of German talents and thus make a contribution to the revitalization of cycling in Germany.”
John Degenkolb
“Today is not only my birthday, but also a kind of laying of the foundation stone for the future. This is an extremely good day for German cycling.”
About the tour comeback on ARD: “It's a great thing, conquering a summit. By broadcasting the tour live you get more sponsors, more prospects and more popularity. This is a huge win for cycling. A facade collapsed. Now it makes me proud that we have regained trust.”
For licensing to Astana: "I don't agree with the decision. There are still black sheep.”
Marcel Kittel
"Today was a blatant start to the new cycling year with this presentation and the new commitment of the ARD. I feel a spirit of optimism.”
Volker Herres (head of programming "Das Erste")
"The most recent German successes, especially at the Tour de France, and the new generation of German cyclists, who are always openly committed to doping-free sport, have made this sporting event more attractive."
Christian Prudhomme
“The puzzle is gradually coming together. Germany has great champions like Marcel Kittel. Now a German team and the TV entry of ARD: That is very important for cycling.”
For the Tour de France in Germany: "From 2006 to 2014 we only had one request from Germany to hold a stage of the tour, now there have been four since the end of October."
Brian Cookson
"After difficult years, today we are experiencing something like the dawn of German cycling."
About the Astana license: "I was frustrated by the License Commission's decision, but we had to follow the rules."
