Haussler still hopes to ride for Australia one day

Heinrich Haussler still hopes to one day ride in the Australian national kit, despite the complications of a switch from his current German racing licence. The International Cycling Union (UCI) says that in order to compete for his nation of birth, he will have to drop his German citizenship, a step which Haussler is not prepared to take at this time.

Haussler, 25, was born in Australia to a German father and an Australian mother, giving him dual citizenship. He moved to Germany at the age of 14 to pursue a professional cycling career. Haussler rode for the German national Under-23 team, but has never ridden for the national team as a professional.

The Cervélo TestTeam rider has repeatedly said that he would like to ride for Australia, however the German Cycling Federation (Bund Deutscher Radfahrer, BDR) has consistently insisted that he remain with them. Most recently, BDR vice-president Udo Sprenger said that he had spoken with Haussler and that “If Heinrich is in form, then he will start at the World Championships, but for Germany and not for Australia.”

“My wish is to be at the start one time in the future for Australia, but we will have to see when that will be,” Haussler told Cyclingnews. He explained why it is so important to him: “I was just at home with my parents in Australia for a vacation and I simply have to say that it is home in my heart.”

Haussler denied feeling pressured by either side to ride or not ride. Since he wants to ride for Australia, and has “naturally looked into the legal procedures” that would allow him to do so. However, dropping his German citizenship “is not open to debate at the moment.”

The UCI explained the situation to Cyclingnews, noting that it has already discussed the matter with Haussler. UCI attorney Amina Lanaya noted that Haussler holds dual citizenship, and has previously represented Germany from 2001 to 2004.

“According to article 1.1.033 of the UCI regulations and considering the fact that he has already chosen the German nationality, it is impossible for him to change his primary choice and to ride for the Australian national team. Indeed, when Haussler first applied for a licence, his choice to represent Germany was final and definitive for his entire career.

“It means that he is not entitled to ride for Australia, unless he loses the German nationality for any reason [, for instance by waiving his German nationality].”

Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed