Heinrich Haussler is taking on the challenge of a lifetime as he competes in this year’s Tour de France.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With a 2009 Tour stage win under his belt, the former local is fighting his way out of underdog status after a dramatic 2017 season plagued with injuries.
Haussler counted just 12 days of racing last year due to a double knee surgery and had yet another setback when he broke his collarbone in a training crash in January.
However, now over halfway through the most famous cycle race in the world, the 34-year-old is working hard in his support role for Bahrain Merida team mate Vincenzo Nibali, who is currently in fourth place overall.
Nibali recovered five places in stage 11, and was just over two minutes behind the leader Geraint Thomas by Thursday.
“On the last climb the pace imposed by Team Sky was really remarkable and in many we lost seconds,” Nibali told Bahrain Merida Press.
“Today was like this, but we are only halfway through the Tour and there are still several stages to recover.”
On Sunday, Haussler proved his worth, rising to the fast and dangerous challenge of the cobbles in the 156.5 kilometre stage nine from Arras to Roubaix.
Although he played a key role in pushing Nibali to the front group, Haussler was visibly battered and disappointed after the stage.
“A lot of guys risked too much, put their whole bodies on the line,” he told SBS.
He was pleased to protect his captain well in stage eight, from Dreux to Amiens.
“This is not like normal races where you move up 25km before the finish,” he told Bahrain Merida Press.
SEE ALSO
“Here at the Tour you have to start to look for your positions with 70-60km to go, otherwise you get in the troubles. Today was important to keep Vincenzo up there and we all made safe into the first group”.
Born and raised in Inverell, Haussler moved to Germany at just 14-years-old to pursue his professional cycling dream, with constant support from his local parents.
By age 25 he had earned the name the Racing Kangaroo, and his 2009 Stage 13 Tour de France win proved a career highlight. He also came second in both the Tour of Flanders and Milano-Sanremo that year.
He was the 2015 Australian National Road Race Champion, and had top 10 results in the 2016 Paris-Roubaix, Milano-Sanremo and Giro d’Italia.