UCI code VOL Discipline Road General manager Thomas Kofler | Registered Austria Status Continental Founded 1999 | |
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Team manager(s) Werner Salmen
Marcello Albasini
Hans Innerhofer | ||
Team Vorarlberg (UCI team code: VOL) is a cycling team based in Austria. The team was founded in 1999 by the twin brothers Thomas and Johannes Kofler and previously known as Team Volksbank. In 2009, the Austrian federal state of Vorarlberg replaced Volksbank as title sponsor. In 2006 it became the first ever Austrian professional cycling team and was registered as a UCI Professional Continental team until June 2010, when their UCI license was suspended due to financial insecurity. The team was later re-registered as a UCI Continental team, and retained that status in 2011.
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In 2007, the team received international attention when former German Tour de France-winner Jan Ullrich announced to join the team in an official function after having been suspended by his T-Mobile Team due to his involvment in the Operación Puerto doping case. After pressure from the team's sponsors, the plan was discarded. Team Vorarlberg was the first Austrian cycling team to participate in events of the UCI ProTour, the top tier racing leage in professional cycling. It did so by receiving a wild card for the 2007 Deutschland Tour, also returning in 2008 with Daniel Musiol winning the mountains classification. From 2007 to 2009 it also raced three times at the Tour de Suisse (winning the sprint classification both with Florian Stalder in 2007 and with René Weissinger in 2008) as well as joining the 2009 Tour of Flanders. Other noteable results besides several national champion titles include the overall victory at the 2015 Tour of Austria by Victor de la Parte.