Heinrich Haussler

No distractions ahead of Milan-San Remo

Published:

March 16, 23:18,

Updated:

March 16, 23:20

By:

Cycling News

Haussler keeping his eye on the prize

No distractions for me ahead of Milan-San Remo

I've just checked into the team hotel in Milan and I'm about to have dinner with the guys. It's hard for me to put into words how I'm feeling right now but it's a mix of confidence, excitement and if I'm honest, trepidation.

Milan-San Remo, the first Classic and Monument of the season is a race that's really dear to my heart and one that I desperately want to win. As soon as I got home from Paris-Nice last week I started concentrating 100 per cent towards Saturday's race. It meant taking care of my body, sleeping right, training right, eating right and not having any distractions. Even my poor girlfriend had to take a back seat over the last few days because for me, Milan-San Remo, as I said, is just a special race that means so much to me.

In the last few days I've watched videos of all the different outcomes and finishes we've seen over the years. From bunch sprints, to late attacks, moves on the Poggio to even suicide early breaks. This race has seen it all but I'm confident that I can feature in it and put in a strong performance. That's easy to say, I know, but I'm feeling strong right now and even though I'm not going to say I'm as strong as I was in 2009, my form is very good.

The only thing I'm worried out is my position on Saturday, both on the climbs and in the sprint finish – should the race end that way. I need my team to help me and to make sure I'm not boxed in but I'm really confident.

A lot of people are talking about this coming down to a sprint and there's a good chance of that happening but it's worth remember that it's a very different beast to a typical bunch gallop in a stage race. The main feature is the sheer distance. This isn't 190kms it's 290 and once you start ticking over the 200 mark guys really start to die and lose their power, but the longer the race the better I used to feel. That used to be my thing. Obviously in the last few years I've not had it in the Classics but this time around I've had the racing, I got through the Vuelta last year and it's all helped.

I'm going to have to watch out for a number of riders too. I'm not that worried about Cav. The race is going to be that hard, you just have to look how Liquigas rode in San Remo, where they were on fire, and there are other teams that won't want it to be a sprint so they'll make it hard. On the other hand he's won the race, so it's not like he can't do it, but I'm more worried about riders other than him.

If I had to pick favourites it would be Boonen, Cancellara and Sagan. But it all depends on how the race goes.

Tyler and I are both here and we both want to have a good race.

And post-race the new/old favourite will be my girlfriend again.

See you in San Remo.

Going to Belgium to win

Published:

February 23, 19:34,

Updated:

February 23, 19:40

By:

Heinrich Haussler

Haussler looking for a birthdate treat at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

I really should get packing. My flight from my home in Germany is in a few hours and there’s a lot to do. And this is going to be a big weekend for me and the boys at Garmin-Barracuda. It’s the start of the Belgium road season with Omloop on Saturday and Kuurne on Sunday. I’ll be racing Omloop and I’m really looking forward to it.

First off I’m going there to win. And secondly it’s my birthday so there’s a real incentive to head to the race and kick some arse. I’ve gone well there in the past. In 2009 I was in a late break that was just caught and in 2010 I was in good form and made the podium. That’s the kind of form and performance I want to show this weekend.

I face a lot of questions about whether I can return to that level of form, the form that I was in during the 2009 season, and especially the Classics.

It’s hard to say. What happened in 2009, especially with the team at the time, Cervelo, was really special. Sometimes I watch it on TV or Youtube and they way we rode, we had something really special going on.

That was once I a lifetime form for me personally too. When I think about how I was racing back then, sometimes I was mucking around but if I had that form again I would just wait and attack in the right moment. If I had that form again it would be amazing but it’s something I’m working towards, although I know it’s going to be a difficult.

Despite my optimism for the weekend I’ve had a rough couple of weeks with illness. I went to Australia for nationals and the Tour Down Under and I got sick when I was back. Then a few weeks ago we rode recon over the new Flanders route and I picked up another cold. I don’t normally get sick but I think it’s from shifting from the warmth of Australia to the cold snap here.

I’m glad I went to Australia though. As an Australian hoping to compete at the London Games this summer I had to take part in the nationals back home. There was also a shadow squad for the Games so I had a few fittings for clothing and there was a bit of paperwork to fill out. All worth it though.

Back to my form, like I said, I’m heading into the weekend wanting to win on Saturday. My form isn’t at its peak but Omloop can be a weird race. It can end in a sprint and looking at the weather I think there’s a good chance of that happening again. I don’t necessarily want that to happen and if I’m feeling strong I’ll attack.

A lot will probably depend on the condition of some of the big guns like Boonen and Gilbert because if they want to rip it apart on the hills they can put a lot of rider under pressure.

Either way, I’d better stop looking at Youtube clips, get packing and get myself to Gent. I’ve got a race to win and birthday to celebrate.

Vuelta: Hardest Grand Tour I've ever done

Published:

September 2, 2011, 20:15,

Updated:

September 2, 2011, 20:15

By:

Heinrich Haussler

Rest days, sore legs and brutal climbing

You have to be kidding me. This is without doubt the hardest three-week race I’ve ever done. It’s just crazy from start to finish.

Today we had 4,500 meters of climbing and it was full on the whole day because the break didn’t go until 50km into the stage. Luckily I had pretty good legs but this race is just too hard. If I’d had a bad day today I would be writing this blog from 35,000 ft on a flight home, instead of from my hotel room.

Since the rest day, this is the first day I’ve felt okay. After ten days of racing, followed by a day off your body just shuts down and that’s what happened to me. I broke that rhythm and I paid for it with two very tough days.

It’s my own fault though. On the rest day we just went 20 minutes up the road, sat in a café for two and a half hours and then cycled back.

That was a mistake and I certainly wont be repeating it in a few days time on the next rest day. On rest day riders typically wake up a bit later than normal and train for maybe between two to four hours. That way their bodies simulate the racing experience and they keep things ticking over. You get the odd exception of course. Some riders don’t even leave their rooms on rest days, but they’re the exception rather than the rule.

The day after the rest day I was dropped after 2km and was ready to pack it all in. It’s strange how many things you can go through in a stage race, the emotions, the feelings, the sensations, it’s a total roller coaster.

But seriously, this race has been incredibly hard, too hard in fact. I remember riding this race back in 2005 and people where here training for the Worlds and there would be nine or ten sprint stages up for grabs. Maybe one or two guys would go up the road and you’d catch them before the finish. Now everyone wants to be in the break and the starts are uphill. Things are going in the wrong direction.

At the end of the day it’s the big names in the sport that have to say something, but no one will. This is by far the hardest three week stage race I’ve done in my life and just don’t get me started on the ridiculous transfers.

I’m still going to make it to Madrid, that’s for sure. I had thought about pulling out because there are no easy stages coming up and I need to think about the Worlds and even though there are a couple of weeks between the Vuelta and the Worlds, this race has been so tough.

As for the Worlds the Australian in the best form at the moment is Stuey [O’Grady]. You can see when he’s pulling on the front and when he’s been in a break. It all depends on the selectors and what they want to do for the race. Whatever happens though, Stuey will be a great captain for the team. He’s got the experience, he knows how to lead and how to read a race perfectly. He’s got the legs to be there at the end too.

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Toasting Dan Martin's Vuelta stage win

Published:

August 29, 2011, 09:13,

Updated:

August 29, 2011, 09:50

By:

Heinrich Haussler

Onwards to Madrid

What a difference a stage makes, or a final climb for that matter. The last few days had been pretty tough for me and the Garmin-Cevelo boys but after Dan’s incredible ride and stage win yesterday we’re all feeling a lot better and spirits are much higher. Speaking of spirits I’m just back from a dinner toast where we celebrated Dan’s win with a glass – just one – of champagne.

But before today we’d been in the wars and super unlucky, losing both Tyler and Murilo in crashes. They were big losses for us as a team but like at the Tour we want to show that the team can win in a number of scenarios and Dan proved that.

After Tyler’s crash he looked pretty bad and we knew straight away that he needed to go to hospital. The x-rays didn’t show anything and then he had another check-up in the morning. He started the next day but the effects of the crash and the fast start the next day made it just too tough.

Then we lost Murilo. He went down into the barrier. He was talking a corner and came down, breaking a bone in his hand. It’s a sad feeling losing a teammate in a grand tour but these things happen in bike racing. It’s a tough sport and although Ty and Murilo are both down they’re certainly not out and I know they’ll make excellent recoveries.

The next day I got myself into the break. That was a tough day but it was really about testing the legs and going hard and going deep in preparation for the Worlds.

And then our race really got a shot in the arm with that win from Dan Martin. On the bus before the start he said he was feeling good and it was a climb that suited him. It meant that our job was to keep him out of the wind and keep him out of trouble. The wind has been crazy here so it meant a lot of work. We kept him fed and watered and then dropped him off at the foot of the climb in the best position possible.

From there it was all up to him and he carried out the perfect ride.

We’ve raced nearly 10 stages now and off the top of my head that’s the longest block of racing I’ve had all season. The first week I thought that my form wasn’t great. Now I think that was just the heat, and the more we head north, the more the temperature has started to drop and I’ve started to feel better. It’s still really hard racing though and I’m hanging in there and saving as much energy as I can and trying to make it to the finish. Bring on Madrid!
 

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Dealing with the heat

Published:

August 22, 2011, 19:49,

Updated:

August 23, 2011, 10:33

By:

Heinrich Haussler

Vuelta off to a simmering start

Greetings Cyclingnews readers,

I'm in hot, hot Spain right now having completed the opening stages of the Vuelta. It's my first Grand Tour in a few years, and I'm really excited to be here and racing for Garmin-Cervelo.

So far the biggest factor has been the heat. It's just unrelenting and punishing. Honestly, I've not raced in anything like this as far back as I can remember. Perhaps the temperature isn't that high, some of the local Spanish riders don't seem to mind, but the fact is that most of Europe hasn't had hot summer. Cast your mind back to the Tour de France. It was raining and raining nearly every day and it was like that for me too in training. So to come here and race in an oven has been tough to deal with.

I think I went through 20 bottles during stage 2. I had one nature break during the stage so it just shows you what we’re going through. I was going through bottles every 5km so by the time I’d finished my drinks it was time to head back to the car and pick up more for me and the other guys.

On a physical level the heat means that you really have to gauge your strength and timing. If you go deep just once then you're going to pay for and chances are you're not going to recover.

On stage 2, the plan was to work for Tyler and we did a pretty good job. The finish was tricky and CJ had a great sprint on him but I'm sure that Tyler and myself will have a few more chances to shine in the sprints before the race is over. We were a little bit disappointed with our ride in the TTT on the first day. I think we could have done a little bit better in the TTT even though we don't have the same team here as we did at the Tour, where we were stacked with time trialists.

Still there's a long way to go and we've got a number of aims for the race, including the overall and stage wins.

I'm sharing a room with Paris-Roubaix winner Johan Vansummeren and it's getting late here in the evening. I think he'd like me to turn off the lap top, the lights and go to sleep.

Thanks for reading and wish me luck

Heinrich

All for the Worlds: I need to show the selectors what I can do

Published:

June 10, 2011, 10:45,

Updated:

June 10, 2011, 11:09

By:

Heinrich Haussler

My return to racing and the build up for the Worlds

After a three-week break I’ve been getting back into the swing of things with some racing. I took three weeks off the bike after the Classics, slipping in a little trip to Los Angeles with my girlfriend, before coming back to Germany and getting back on the bike.

To be honest, I needed the time off and it’s really set me in a strong position for the rest of the season. I raced in Berlin last week and on Saturday I’ll start the Tour de Suisse. It’s a significant race for me and of course Garmin-Cervelo and we’ll be looking to do as well as possible. I’d like to try and get some results for myself but with so many of the Tour de France guys riding I might be working for others. If I’m allowed a chance to show myself it goes without saying that I’ll put 100 per cent into it.

Meanwhile, I’ve got to sort out my schedule for the rest of the season. No Tour de France means that I need to shift my racing around a little bit. The Worlds are the major goal and everything revolves around that race but the stepping stones I need to make in order to get there still aren’t in place.

I could do the Vuelta, as it’s typically a wise option to take if you’re looking to perform at the Worlds but I think it’s possible to peak by doing the shorter stage races likes the Tour of Poland and mixing racing in with altitude training as and when I can. I’ll have to chat with the team and see what they think too.

Another conversation I need to have is with the Australian selectors for the Worlds. It’s all well and good saying that I want to do this and that but the simply fact is that I’m in no position to demand anything from the management or the riders.

First and foremost, I need to qualify for the team and that means putting in some performances. I’d go there and work for someone if that’s what it comes down to, but I not doubting my own talent for a second. Last year was a mess and this year hasn’t gone too well either so I’m not in a position to say everyone should ride for me. Gossy has made a big step up and he’s been riding so well this year, but I'm sure I can remind the selectors what I can do.