Former German champion targets a second Giro Donne victory after “adventure” in the US
Team Argos-Shimano has announced the signing of Claudia Häusler on a two year contract, with the former German champion completing the Dutch team’s 2014 roster. The 27-year-old from Munich spent 2013 with Tibco-To The Top, but returns to a European team after her one-year “adventure” in the United States.
“Of course as a rider you are always watching other teams, and one team I thought could be a good place for me was Team Argos-Shimano,” Häusler said. “I appreciate the team’s focus on helping riders develop in the sport. I have had good conversations with the team and I have a really good feeling about it, and that is important to me. I am looking forward to being back in Europe after my adventure in the United States.”
Häusler’s biggest year came in 2009, when she was riding for the Cervélo TestTeam, winning both the Tour de l’Aude and the Giro d’Italia. This year saw her take third place in the Giro Rosa, and take a controversial victory in the Giro della Toscana; she ended the penultimate stage in fifth place, but took the race by default when Tibco-To The Top was one of the few major teams not to join the riders’ strike over traffic safety on the course.
“As a stage race specialist, I will have as my major goal the Giro Donne, the biggest stage race in women’s cycling, and also the harder World Cups,” Häusler said. “I have had some difficult years recently, due to my studies and a hard crash in 2010, but I definitely want to repeat some of the successes I have had.”
With most of Argos-Shimano’s success built around the sprints of Dutch powerhouse Kirsten Wild and British two-time junior World champion Lucy Garner, the addition of climber Häusler will give the expanding team more options in the hillier races.
“We are happy that Claudia will be part of our team for the next two seasons,” said coach Ruud Verhagen. “We started talking with her because we wanted to strengthen our roster with a climber. Claudia is a world-class climber, and we see a great natural fit with our team. Now, together with sprinter Kirsten Wild and our young talents, our team is complete for 2014.”