Team Gerolsteiner
The Gerolsteiner team was a German cycling team that existed from 1997 to 2008 and most recently had the status of a UCI ProTeam . The team was financed by the beverage manufacturer Gerolsteiner Brunnen .
history
The team was founded in 1997 as Schauff Öschelbronn professional cycling team - named after the bike manufacturer Schauff - by team boss Hans-Michael Holczer . It has been called Team Gerolsteiner since 1999 , after Gerolsteiner stopped sponsoring the team of the same name, which was headed by Dieter Koslar and founded in 1998, and supported the Holczer team.
With the engagement of Georg Totschnig in 2001, the team made the leap into the GS-I category. In 2003 they qualified for the Tour de France for the first time and ex-professional Reimund Dietzen took over the role of sporting director from Rolf Gölz . On September 4, 2007, Gerolsteiner announced that it would not extend the contract that ran until the end of 2008. A successor sponsor was not found, so that on August 28, 2008 team boss Holczer was forced to announce the dissolution of the team at the end of the 2008 season.
On October 14, 2008, the Gerolsteiner team announced that they would withdraw from cycling not only at the end of the season but with immediate effect due to the positive doping tests (A-samples) from Stefan Schumacher and Bernhard Kohl at the Tour de France.
successes
The first notable success since the team was founded was winning the team classification at the Tour of Austria in 1999.
As a result, the drivers of the Gerolsteiner team also achieved several international successes as well as numerous national individual time trial championship titles and road championships by Michael Rich , Uwe Peschel and Georg Totschnig . For example, Uwe Peschel (2002) and Michael Rich (2003 and 2004) won the Grand Prix des Nations . In 2000, 2002 and 2004 Michael Rich and in 2003 Uwe Peschel became vice world champion in the individual time trial.
At the Giro d'Italia , the team leader Georg Totschnig was able to achieve a seventh (2002) and a fifth overall place (2003). A year later, Fabian Wegmann won the Maglia Verde at the Giro d'Italia. In 2003 Davide Rebellin joined the Gerolsteiner team and immediately won a stage and came third overall at Paris – Nice . Further victories followed in 2004, including a. at the Amstel Gold Race , La Flèche Wallonne and at Liège – Bastogne – Liège by Davide Rebellin, who came second in the World Cup.
At the Tour de France 2005 , the newcomer Levi Leipheimer fought for sixth place overall. In addition, Georg Totschnig won the 14th stage in the Pyrenees , which means the first Gerolsteiner victory ever on a tour stage. At the royal stage of the Germany Tour 2005 with arrival in Sölden there was a double victory (Levi Leipheimer ahead of Georg Totschnig) for the Gerolsteiner team. Levi Leipheimer finally also won the overall ranking. Georg Totschnig took third place overall. Heinrich Haussler ( Vuelta a España ) and Fabian Wegmann ( Tour of Poland ) won further stages in round trips . Michael Rich also won the Rhineland-Palatinate Tour and the Bavarian Tour and Fabian Wegmann the GP San Francisco and the Grand Prix Black Forest . Team Gerolsteiner also won the first team time trial in Eindhoven .
2008 initially seemed to be the team's most successful year. On the 8th and 20th stages of the 2008 Tour de France , Stefan Schumacher won both individual time trials of the Tour and wore the yellow jersey for two days. Bernhard Kohl was the first Austrian to win the mountain classification and thus the maillot à pois rouges with 128 mountain points (48 points ahead of the runner-up) . In the overall ranking, he was able to take 3rd place. However, both racing drivers were subsequently tested positive for CERA in the A-sample in October 2008. Team boss Holzcer then announced that he was leaving cycling. For the Lombardy tour, the team announced its waiver.
2006 season
David Kopp clinched his first win of the season at the Mallorca Challenge in February. The first ProTour success of the year was achieved a month later by Swiss Markus Zberg with a stage win near Paris-Nice . In addition to his victory at the GP Miguel Induráin in the spring classics of the ProTour, Fabian Wegmann was able to get some top ten placements and David Kopp came second at Gent-Wevelgem . There were also victories in smaller tours.
In May the team started the Giro d'Italia . Starting without a real captain, the tour was very successful. Stefan Schumacher won two stages and wore the pink jersey of the front runner for a few days, Robert Förster won the final stage.
At the Dauphiné Libéré , Fabian Wegmann was the first to set accents with his victory on the first stage. Later on on the mountain stages, it was Levi Leipheimer who presented the team's colors. Leipheimer won the tour and recommended himself as one of the favorites for the Tour de France .
His chances were even better when the top favorites Jan Ullrich , Ivan Basso and Alexander Vinokurow could not take part due to the doping scandal Fuentes . Fabian Wegmann was the first to wear the dotted jersey on the tour, but had to return it after just one day. For Leipheimer, the dream of a Tour victory was already over after the first individual time trial when he lost more than five minutes. On the second mountain stage he was able to present himself from a better side and was narrowly beaten second. Markus Fothen was able to stand out positively . He impressed in the time trial and in the mountains and for a long time wore the white jersey of the best young professional. Before the last time trial, it seemed only a matter of form that he would win it in Paris, but his competitor in this classification, Giro winner 2004 Damiano Cunego , showed what is probably his best performance in a time trial and won the classification . Leipheimer and Fothen took 13th and 15th place in the overall ranking.
The Germany Tour started shortly after the Tour of France . Levi Leipheimer started as the defending champion and after his stage victory on the 5th stage it looked very good. But a seemingly indomitable Jens Voigt thwarted his plans. In the end, Leipheimer came second, the German time trial champion Sebastian Lang won the mountain classification .
Stefan Schumacher won the prologue at the Eneco Tour . David Kopp won the 6th stage. Before the last stage, Schumacher was just behind the leader George Hincapie . In the final sprint of the last section, Schumacher tried to achieve overall victory with a time credit. But Schumacher avoided a spectator's hand and collided with Hincapie about 50 meters from the finish line. Hincapie fell, but Schumacher was able to continue and sprinted into third place, which gave him the time credit he needed. Hincapie was scored at the same time as Schumacher on this stage, but the bonus was enough for Schumacher to lead by one second. Hincapie's team Discovery Channel appealed the rating, but the jury decided that Schumacher's driving behavior that led to the collision was not illegal.
The weekend from September 9th to 10th was particularly successful for the team. On September 9th, Stefan Schumacher was able to win the difficult 6th stage of the Tour of Poland in front of teammate Fabian Wegmann and take over the yellow jersey of the leader in the overall standings. The next day Robert Förster won the 15th stage of the Vuelta a Espana . The team had already suffered heavy losses by then, as five of the nine drivers who had started had given up. Only a few hours later, Stefan Schumacher also won the 7th and final stage of the Tour of Poland, which enabled him to defend the lead in the overall standings and now win the second tour in a row after the ENECO Tour.
In autumn the Gerolsteiner drivers were able to add a few more highlights. Davide Rebellin came third at the championship in Zurich . Fabian Wegmann was the first German to make it onto the podium in the Lombardy Tour . He finished third behind Paolo Bettini and Samuel Sanchez . This also ended the ProTour season. Stefan Schumacher came in tenth place overall.
Successes in the ProTour
| date | run | driver |
|---|---|---|
| March 12th |
 7th stage Paris – Nice
|
 Markus Zberg
|
| 8th of May |
 3rd stage Giro d'Italia
|
 Stefan Schumacher
|
| 25. May |
18th stage of the Giro d'Italia
|
Stefan Schumacher
|
| 28th of May |
21st stage of the Giro d'Italia
|
Robert Forster
|
| June 5th |
1st stage Dauphiné Libéré
|
Fabian Wegmann
|
| June 4th - 11th |
Overall ranking Dauphiné Libéré
|
 Levi Leipheimer
|
| 6th of August |
5th stage Germany Tour
|
Levi Leipheimer
|
| August 16 |
   Prologue Eneco Tour
|
Stefan Schumacher
|
| August 22nd |
6th stage of the Eneco Tour
|
David Kopp
|
| 16.-23. August |
Overall ranking Eneco Tour
|
Stefan Schumacher
|
| the 9th of September |
 6th stage Tour of Poland
|
Stefan Schumacher
|
| September 10 |
7th stage Tour of Poland
|
Stefan Schumacher
|
| September 10 |
Overall ranking Tour of Poland
|
Stefan Schumacher
|
| September 10 |
 15th stage Vuelta a España
|
Robert Forster
|
Successes in the Continental Circuits
2007 season
Successes in the ProTour
| date | run | driver |
|---|---|---|
| March 18th |
5th stage Tirreno – Adriatico
|
Stefan Schumacher
|
| April 22 |
Amstel Gold Race
|
Stefan Schumacher
|
| April 25 |
La Flèche Wallonne
|
Davide rebel
|
| 2.May |
1st stage Tour de Romandie
|
Markus Fothen
|
| 17th of May |
5th stage Giro d'Italia
|
Robert Forster
|
| June 11th |
1st stage Dauphiné Libéré
|
Heinrich Haussler
|
| August 10 |
1st stage Germany Tour
|
Robert Forster
|
| September 11 |
2nd stage Tour of Poland
|
David Kopp
|
Success in the Europe Tour
| date | run | driver |
|---|---|---|
| March 30 |
4th stage Settimana Internazionale
|
Robert Forster
|
| April 29 |
5th stage Lower Saxony tour
|
Heinrich Haussler
|
| 2th of June |
4th stage Bavaria Tour
|
Stefan Schumacher
|
| May 30th - June 3rd |
Overall ranking Bayern-Rundfahrt
|
Stefan Schumacher
|
| July 1 |
German road cycling championship
|
Fabian Wegmann
|
| July 1 |
Swiss road cycling championship |
Beat Zberg
|
| July 26th |
1st stage Brixia Tour
|
Davide rebel
|
| July 26-29 |
Overall ranking Brixia Tour
|
Davide rebel
|
| 12. August |
1st stage Tour de l'Ain
|
Beat Zberg
|
| 16th September |
Around the old town of Nuremberg
|
Fabian Wegmann
|
2008 season
Successes in the ProTour
| date | run | driver |
|---|---|---|
| May 3rd |
4th stage Tour de Romandie
|
Francesco de Bonis
|
| 18th of June |
5th stage Tour de Suisse
|
Markus Fothen
|
| August 25 |
5th stage of the Eneco Tour
|
Carlo Westphal
|
| September 20th |
7th stage Tour of Poland
|
Robert Forster
|
Success in the UCI Europe Tour
| date | run | driver |
|---|---|---|
| 20. February |
 1st stage Algarve tour
|
Robert Forster
|
| February 22 |
3rd stage Algarve tour
|
Robert Forster
|
| February 24th |
Tour du Haut Var
|
Davide rebel
|
| March 9-16 |
Overall ranking Paris-Nice
|
Davide rebel
|
| April 5th |
Gran Premio Miguel Induráin
|
Fabian Wegmann
|
| 31. May |
4th stage Bavaria Tour
|
Stefan Schumacher
|
| June 1st |
5th stage Bavaria Tour
|
Heinrich Haussler
|
| June 7th |
GP Black Forest
|
Mathias Frank
|
| June 11th |
Dutch Food Valley Classic
|
Robert Forster
|
| June 29th |
German road cycling championship |
Fabian Wegmann
|
| June 29th |
Swiss road cycling championship |
Markus Zberg
|
| 8th of July |
|
Stefan Schumacher |
| July 26th |
|
Stefan Schumacher |
| July 27th |
|
 Bernhard Kohl |
| July 27th |
|
Bernhard Kohl |
| August 24th |
5th stage Rothaus Regio-Tour
|
Markus Fothen
|
1) Results at the Tour der France 2008 of the drivers Stefan Schumacher and Bernhard Kohl by the French Anti-Doping Agency (ADFL) retrospectively, due to a positive doping test for CERA (EPO).
team
Investigations 2019
In the course of a doping raid carried out by the Austrian Federal Criminal Police Office together with the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office as part of the Nordic World Ski Championships 2019 in Seefeld , five winter sports athletes as well as a former team doctor from the Gerolsteiner team, who is considered one of the masterminds of the network, were arrested and investigations were carried out to clarify the Circumstances added.
Known drivers
-
Andreas Kappes (1998)
-
Jörg Ludewig (1999)
-
Scott McGrory (1999-2000) -
Sven Teutenberg (1999–2000)
-
Hannes Hempel (2001-2002)
-
Tobias Steinhauser (2000-2002)
-
Udo Bölts (2003)
-
Gerhard Trampusch (2003)
-
Olaf Pollack (2000-2004)
-
Uwe Peschel (1999-2005)
-
Torsten Schmidt (2000-2005)
-
Danilo Hondo (2004-2005)
-
Marco Serpellini (2004-2005)
-
Michael Rich (1999-2006)
-
René Haselbacher (2000-2006)
-
Georg Totschnig (2001-2006)
-
Sven Montgomery (2004-2006)
-
Frank Hoj (2005-2006) -
Levi Leipheimer (2005-2006)
-
Beat Zberg (2004-2007)
-
David Kopp (2006-2007)
Placements in UCI rankings
UCI world rankings
| season | Team ranking | Driver ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 44. |
Andreas Kappes (339.)
|
| 1999 | 12. (GSII) |
Michael Rich (184.)
|
| 2000 | 10. (GSII) |
Michael Rich (98.)
|
| 2001 | 7. (GSII) |
Georg Totschnig (135.)
|
| 2002 | 11. |
Davide Rebellin (9.)
|
| 2003 | 6th |
Davide Rebellin (5.)
|
| 2004 | 3. |
Davide Rebellin (6.)
|
UCI ProTour
| season | Team ranking | Driver ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6th |
Davide Rebellin (3rd)
|
| 2006 | 6th |
Stefan Schumacher (10.)
|
| 2007 | 14th |
Davide Rebellin (2.)
|
| 2008 | 14th |
Markus Fothen (69.)
|
Web links
- Team Gerolsteiner in the ProCyclingStats.com database
Individual evidence
- ^ Off for Team Gerolsteiner No successor sponsor ( Memento from December 31, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Team Gerolsteiner withdraws immediately - Bergkönig Kohl also tested positive ( Memento from October 14, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Doping raid: Dominik Baldauf arrested. In: vol.at. February 27, 2019, accessed February 27, 2019 .
- ↑ Melanie Haack, Ronald Tenbusch: Doping quake: This German doctor is supposed to be the mastermind. In: welt.de . February 27, 2019, accessed February 27, 2019 .