Thor Hushovd has laid out three big goals for 2010, with the defence of his Tour de France green jersey being joined by two other major targets.
The Cervélo Test Team rider performed well in this year’s Paris-Roubaix, netting third place. He was clear with eventual winner Tom Boonen inside the final 20 kilometres but then crashed, losing his chance of victory. Making amends for that is his second mission, while his third is to take advantage of a flat world championship parcours and chase the rainbow jersey.
“Is there anything more important than return to fight for the stages and the green jersey of the Tour de France?” he rhetorically asked in an interview with broadcaster TV2. “Next year I will [also] aim to win the Roubaix and the world championship, doing the Vuelta in preparation for that.”
Hushovd was a non-finisher in Mendrisio but the hilly nature of the course is chiefly responsible for that. He has been riding impressively all season, netting his first win back on February 17th when he triumphed on stage three of the Tour of California.
Other victories include the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the prologue and sixth stage of the Volta a Catalunya, stage six of the Tour de France, stage four of the Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne and stage two of the Tour of Missouri.
He was also third in Milan San Remo and fourth in the E3 Prijs.
While not as fast as Mark Cavendish in a head-to-head sprint, he has shown more versatility on tough terrain and secured his second Tour Maillot Vert with strong performances in the transition stages of this year’s race.
The Cervélo Test Team has been praising of Hushovd as one of the key figures in its lineup. Apart from his sporting success, he has also been regarded as one of the best in interacting with the public on the trips the team organises to major races.