FRANKFURT, Germany, May 1, 2010 (AFP) – Fabian Wegmann handed his struggling Milram cycling team a boost in their quest for a new sponsor by sprinting to victory in the Frankfurt Grand Prix semi-classic on Saturday.

Milram is the last remaining German-backed team in the professional peloton and, with their sponsor — a dairy company — ending its deal at the end of the year the team is currently battling to find a replacement.

Wegmann’s second successive victory, after 201.7 km of racing, the German winning ahead of Belgians Geert Verheyen and Bert Scheirlinckx, will provide a timely boost for team bosses as they continue to court potential sponsors.

Gerry van Gerwen, the manager of Team Milram, said: “This repeat win in Frankfurt is unbelievably important for our team, especially as it looked at one point as if we could not possibly win.”

His win also comes in the wake of a five-week layoff due to a fractured collarbone.

However Wegmann was quick to pay tribute to the hard work of teammates Niki Terpstra and Christian Knees.

“Winning here last year was a dream, so repeating my success is simply unbelievable,” said Wegmann.

“Niki Terpstra and Christian Knees totally sacrificed themselves for our success and brought me into perfect position just before the little chicane about 300 metres before the finish line.”

Milram have been the only German team in the peloton since Gerolsteiner, a mineral water company, pulled out last year.

Gerolsteiner suffered blows in recent years due to doping scandals.

Both Stefan Schumacher of Germany and Austrian Bernhard Kohl were racing for the team when they tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin).