Haussler, favourite for the Classics!
Heinrich Haussler is now a favourite for the Classics thanks to his early season and near-miss in Milano-Sanremo. He has put his name in lights this season with the rapid-fire attack to win the sprint in stage two of Paris-Nice. He nearly did the same thing one week later in Milano-Sanremo. He shot out at 350 metres to go before Mark Cavendish (Columbia-Highroad) caught him back.
Haussler on Tour of Flanders: “My form is still the same. I should be up there. I will hide myself a bit more and ride a bit smarter, he said. Hopefully, there will be more teammates in the end so we can have more options. Thor Hushovd or Andreas Klier can win. We need more numbers, more than Quick Step, Lotto or Rabobank.”
Haussler is taken it easy between the races. When we talked with him a few days ago, he indicated his riding as coffee shop runs (obviously a little more on the harder side.) He said that he saves the real energy bursts for the race days.
“I want to keep my form through Paris-Roubaix. It should hold on if I don’t get sick. I am not doing any really hard training and I am recovering well between races.”
Haussler started his season in Qatar, where he placed several times in the sprints and finished second overall to Tom Boonen (Quick Step). He went on to win two stages in Portugal’s Volta ao Algarve. After the Belgian semi-classic weekend – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne – he lined up for Paris-Nice.