Austrian hardman happy to fulfill duel role as Classics leader and Cavendish leadout man
2010 Gent-Wevelgem winner Bernhard Eisel has re-signed with his HTC-Columbia team for another two seasons. The Austrian is a threat on his own in the Spring Classics and is also one of the vital cogs in the HTC-Columbia sprint winning machine, which netted an impressive tally of five stage wins at this year's Tour de France courtesy of one Mark Cavendish.
Team manager, Rolf Aldag, has no doubts about the importance of Eisel to his squad: "Bernie is an integral part of the team and important for us in many ways. We have a long relationship with him, and we rely on him as a road captain, where he does a great job of leading by example on and off the road, and as a leader for the classics. A diverse rider like Bernie, who has a multifunctional role in the team is essential, and we are pleased to have him back for the next two years of racing."
Eisel is happy to call HTC-Columbia home: "I'm really happy to be back again. For me, this team is the best, because I get the freedom to ride for my own goals in the classics, and I enjoy riding for the best sprinter in the world at the Tour de France, which is my second goal each season. We have a lot of fun on this team and together we get stronger and stronger each year, so I'm happy with that."
With the signings of the two German speakers, Bernie Eisel and Bert Grabsch, HTC-Columbia can ensure that it still keeps that last little bit of German flair remaining from the Telekom/T-Mobile days, but more importantly, it keeps the smooth running sprint train intact. One can expect that there won't be any mistakes come next July in Mark Cavendish's quest for his first Green Jersey.