Cervélo TestTeam's Thor Hushovd is once again in the heat of battle for the Tour de France's green jersey competition. As it was last year, the two-time winner (2005,2009) of the competition finds himself going for intermediate sprint points to get the upper hand over the pure sprinters in the race. Hushovd demonstrated his versatility once more during stage sixteen, by powering his way through the mountains to leave his sprint rivals behind.
“I had a really good [Tuesday] and I thought it was possible to stay at the front of the bunch," he explained on the race's second rest day. "I hung on in the end on the last climb and I took six points that I needed to take back the green jersey. It was important to gain these six points. It’s not easy to have these points in a normal sprint, so it’s important to have this advantage.”
An on form Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese Vini) provides some inspiration for the 32 year old, as the big Tuscan has once again reached the top level of the sport.
“Petacchi is the most dangerous rider. It’s not a surprise to see him so strong, because he’s always been a great sprinter. He’s 36 years old, so it’s somewhat encouraging to see him in good form again.
“The last week of the Tour it’s more important that you have fresh legs and feeling strong. This fight is similar to last year. I like the Tour when it’s harder. The harder is it, the better it is for me.”
Hushovd was locked in battle with Manxman Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) last year, who was all but unstoppable in the Tour's bunch sprints. He managed to take advantage of his weaknesses and prevail in Paris to win the jersey for a second time.
Stage fourteen was a critical point in the 2009 edition, and ensured the quest for the maillot vert didn't end without controversy. Cavendish lost valuable points to the TestTeam rider when the race jury relegated him for impeding his rival in the sprint. A determined Hushovd ended the debate with an inspired ride to snatch up intermediate points and prove himself a worthy winner of the prize. This year's race had a similar incident that saw Hushovd on the other side of the fence, this time losing valuable points when stage two was neutralized by race officials.
“Of course, I think about it. If I had won there, I would have won a lot of points," he explained about a day where he could have put a bigger gap between himself and the other sprinters. "But as I said before, I cannot waste energy on this. There is nothing I can do to change it. So I don’t want to waste energy and become tired to keep dwelling on it.”
He answered the disappointment with a win in stage three over the cobblestones to Arenberg, and continues to put himself in a position to secure what will be his third green jersey.