Norwegian realises American team-mate has a better chance of beating Mark Cavendish
World road race champion Thor Hushovd has decided his programme for the season, and has undertaken to ride the Tour de France in support of Garmin-Cervélo team-mate Tyler Farrar.
“We must go far back in time to find a flat stage where I beat Mark Cavendish,” he conceded to VG.no. “Then I’d rather help Farrar to beat him.”
Hushovd finished third in the green jersey contest this season, coming in behind Alessandro Petacchi and Mark Cavendish. He won the battle for the Maillot Vert last season, beating Cavendish thanks to his superior performance in the intermediate stages, and also took the jersey in 2005.
However with Cavendish coming into his prime and Farrar being one of the few riders who has managed to beat him in a straight-out sprint in recent years, Hushovd can see that backing the American is the biggest chance for success.
Of course, he’ll have plenty of personal goals, not least the defence of his world championship title in Copenhagen next year. Before then, he’ll get his season underway in the Tour of Oman, which runs from February 15th – 20th.
The schedule formulated with team manager Jonathan Vaughters will then seem him ride the semi-Classics in Belgium, then Tirreno Adriatico, Milan-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of California, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. The latter should set him up well for the world championships, where he is likely to be up against Cavendish and Farrar in the battle for the gold medal.
Hushovd has moved to the team after the Cervélo squad stopped earlier than expected. He has been spending time with his new team-mates in the Cayman Islands and has clicked well. “It looks very good. The organization of the team is strong and professional,” he said. “I’ve got a very good impression.”
The 32 year old has signed a one year deal with Garmin-Cervélo, and could extend if things go well and the right budget is in place.