HTC-Highroad director, Brian Holm, appears to be doing anything he can to get everything he can out of the rider he feels is Denmark's, possibly the world's, next great rider: Alex Rasmussen.
The 26 year old Danish strongman has impressed his Danish director to such an extent that Holm recently gushed to Fyens Stiftende that he thinks Rasmussen could "easily [become] World Champion in two years."
Holm hasn't been satisfied with his protege's efforts up until this point. Sure, they haven't been completely terrible, but Holm feels that there's a lot more Rasmussen can do to make himself better. With the previous mention of becoming World Champion, it's unsurprising then that Holm compares Rasmussen to this year's World Champion, Thor Hushovd.
"Before this season, I confronted Alex about his reputation of being a little lazy, unserious, and for not paying attention to his weight. His talent is obvious though. He should be able to develop into a Danish Thor Hushovd," said the Highroad director to feltet.dk.
Rasmussen has shown himself to be gifted over a plethora of terrain and disciplines - from the track, to time trials, to sprints, to the Classics. Unsurprisingly, he takes umbrage with Holm's relatively scathing summary of his previous years racing, but is happy to concede that he hopes there's a lot more success to come in his future compared to years past.
"I do not agree that I have managed my talent that badly. I've won a lot on the track, on the road, and taken various stage wins in my two seasons as a professional…but I hope that there is lots more to come."
2011 will be an interesting year for Rasmussen. In his conversation with feltet.dk, he makes it clear that he wants to be a part of the Cavendish leadout machine, and he looks ready to do whatever it takes to get on that train.
"To me, it is about being able to prove that I'm strong enough to be part of the train, leading Mark Cavendish forward to even more victories in the mass sprints. The first time that I will be tested in this context will be at the Tour of Oman."
Personal success might take a backseat to Cavendish's, but Rasmussen rightly understands that a spot on the Cavendish train is the fast track to success. Working with, training with, and leading out the world's fastest rider is bound to yield dividends down the road.
"I think I might be right for the role as the third to last guy. Renshaw is quite obviously the man who must launch Cavendish, and I hope to do my job so well, that I will be accepted as a piece of this puzzle."
The winner of two stages of the Tour of Dunkirk will have to earn his spot on the train though. He will be going up against two other particularly strong sprinters for the third spot: Bernhard Eisel and possibly Matthew Goss, depending on how Goss's schedule plays out. Eisel has proven to be one of the sport's best leadout riders and has been indispensable as the third rider in line, launching Mark Renshaw, who in turn sets Cavendish free.
"Ultimately, it will probably be decisive as to whether I am in the Tour de France or not. As I understand it, everything will again be focused on Cavendish for the Tour, and if I can help to create the optimal conditions for him, I believe that I'll have a strong chance."
While Eisel might not have the raw power of Alex Rasmussen, he has the benefit of years of experience. The decision could easily come down to experience versus sheer power, or, in a perfect world, the two would both take their spots on the team. Imagine: Eisel, Rasmussen, Renshaw, and Cavendish. It would be a frighteningly powerful train.
Either way, Rasmussen can also lay claim to a monster engine that will be of great help to the HTC-Highroad team in bringing back each day's break. One can expect more of the same in 2011 - very few teams will be looking to lend a hand to help Mark Cavendish storm to yet another victory. A motor like Ramussen, in conjunction with motors like Bert Grabsch and Tony Martin, followed by a little more motoring in the finale should mean lots of wins.