Häusler signs with Diadora-Pasta Zara

The Diadora-Pasta Zara-Manhattan team today announced the signing of German Claudia Häusler from the Cervélo TestTeam. Häusler, who turns 25 this month, is a former German road champion who has secured victories in the 2009 Giro Donne and Tour de l'Aude. This year she won the Iurreta-Emakumeen Bira stage race and helped teammate Emma Pooley the win in Tour de l'Aude, coming fourth herself.

Häusler, together with 2010 Giro Donne champion Mara Abbott, will make a formidable stage race team along with Russian Olga Zabelinskaya, winner of the Thüringen Rundfahrt and sprinter Shelley Olds.

Team president Maurizio Fabretto was pleased with the signing. "With Häusler we have completed a team that will face the 2011 season with the goal to win on several fronts," he said.

"The group was already very strong, now we have added another valuable asset. Now we have a perfect team, made up of sprinters and climbers."

"I immediately decided I wanted to be part of the new Diadora-Pasta Zara-Manhattan project," said Häusler. "Fabretto’s team has always impressed me. Everybody always wants to win but they’re always happy and positive, too. There’s pressure but it’s never excessive. It seems like a team where you can do really well. I also know most of the people in the team, starting with Diana Ziliute."