Thor Hushovd already celebrated once this season. After his birthday cake he hopes to also get a Roubaix cobble this year(Image credit: Shane Stokes)
Leonardo Bertagnolli (Androni Giocattoli) won a silver plate for second place(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
By Shane Stokes
Thor Hushovd is a multiple stage winner of the Tour de France and a former victor in the green jersey competition but he is heading into the 2009 season with another big target in mind.
"The Tour is of course important but if I had to choose between winning the maillot vert again or taking a Classic, I'd love to win a Classic. I have won the jersey before, after all."
The big Norwegian gets his season underway in the Tour of California this Saturday and said that he is in good form heading towards his first big targets of the year.
"I think my condition is okay. It is not at the peak, of course, but I have been training hard this winter, because I started last year's season quite early," he stated. "I have a few kilometres in my legs already, I feel myself getting better and better. I hope to be on top from the middle of March, for Milano-Sanremo until Paris-Roubaix.
"I will also do Flanders, but Milano-Sanremo and Roubaix are my two biggest goals. And of those, Roubaix is something special."
Now 31, he's ridden his whole career up to now in the colours of the Crédit Agricole team. That stopped at the end of 2008 and now he is in the black, red and white of the new Cervélo setup. He's looking forward to the season, and is happy with his new squad.
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"I know many of the guys from before," he explained. "There are already five of us who came from Crédit Agricole, and some others I know from the races. Of course there are some new riders too, some American ones, some Spanish guys I don't know. There are actually some guys I have not seen racing before. But the mood is very good here."
A full interview with Thor Hushovd will appear on Cyclingnews soon. Stay tuned.
