Garmin-Cervelo manager Jonathan Vaughters knows his team needs a big win in this classics campaign.(Image credit: Barry Ryan)
Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) enjoyed a 45 minute ride behind the team car(Image credit: Daniel Simms)
World Champion Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo)(Image credit: Bert Geerts/dcp-bertgeerts@xs4all.nl)
A candid Jonathan Vaughters was again left to wonder what could have been, after all three of Garmin Cervelo's key riders failed to fire. Tyler Farrar who was the team's best placed rider in the race (13th), was unable to reproduce his 4th in last year's race after becoming isolated in the third group on the road. Neither Thor Hushovd (53rd) nor Heinrich Haussler (61st) were able to give the support Farrar needed in the finale. A disappointed Vaughters said that while Farrar was in good form, Hushovd was not feeling good, which didn't leave the team with a lot of options.
"When you have two riders and one says he doesn't have it, what can you do? All you can do is sit in and hope for the best."
"No matter how good your team is; no matter how good your riders are, at the end of the day you have to be strong. So far none of our guys have been totally on top of their game."
Vaughters also dismissed the idea that the problem was having too many lead riders.
"If the problem was having four guys in the front group figuring out who was going to sprint then maybe. But we didn't have four guys in the front group did we? At the end of the day you've just got to have the legs and so far we haven't had them."
Vaughters hoped for better fortune for Paris-Roubaix next week, where he feels the flatter parcours will aid the chances of Farrar and Hushovd.
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