From 2015 on, the team will take another step in its development. While the ambitious spirit remains, the team’s name will change with new naming partners on its side. It’s time to look back how our unique story, to bring amateurs to the Tour de France in only five years, started.

German cycling had gone into hibernation at the end of the first decade of the century, and deep in Bavaria, a bike store owner decided to wake it up again. The small team that Ralph Denk created in late 2009 has since grown into a major factor in the peloton and participated – successfully – in all three Grand Tours, in only five years of racing.

Denk used his experience in the sport to pull together a 14-man squad, mostly young riders, to tackle the pro cycling world, The team started off on the Continental level, with the announced hopes of riding the Tour de France within five years – a goal which the team remarkably achieved.

The team’s first appearance was at the Mallorca Challenge, with the highlight being Andreas Schillinger’s eighth place finish on the final day.  But they didn’t have to wait long for the first-ever  victory. That honour went to Daniel Schorn, who won the sprint of the third stage of the Tour de Normandie. The race was good to the team, as Jan Barta wore NetApp’s first leader’s jersey, taking yellow on the fifth stage, which he wore for one day.

Illness and injuries hit the team, and after its optimistic season start, even the team itself had to refer to some “unsatisfying” racing. However, an appearance in the Brabantse Pijl, its first top ranked race, returned confidence to the riders, as the team felt it measured up well to its ProTour competitors.

From there, the young team followed the usual Continental path, participating with more or less success all over Europe. Things looked up again at the Course de Solidarnosc, with Eric Baumann taking home the sprinter’s jersey and Alexander Gottfried placing fourth overall.

An overall satisfactory season ensued, with the Tour of Slovakia being especially good to the team. Daniel Schorn won two stages and took home the best sprinter and best young rider jerseys. Timon Seubert finished second overall.

Schillinger capped the season by winning the one-day race Praha-Karlovy Vary-Praha, with Jan Barta just off the podium in fourth.

After what could only be considered a successful first year of existence, the team had its largest success in the off-season. The UCI awarded it a Professional Continental licence, moving it up one notch in pro cycling, bringing many new challenges.

Team NetApp 2010:
Jan Barta, Eric Baumann, Cesare Benedetti, Dimitri Claeys, Bastien Delrot, Andreas Dietziker, Huub Duyn, Tassilo Fricke, Alexander Gottfried, Nico Keinath, Alex Meenhorst, Andreas Schillinger, Daniel Schorn, Michael Schwarzmann, and Timon Seubert.

 

Review 2011: Click here

Review 2012: Click here

Review 2013: Click here

Review 2014: Click here