HTC-Highroad makes a sensible move to exit the world of cycling - Cycling News
The Austrian professional road bicycle racer, Bernhard Eisel told the media that, it was the correct time for UCI pro tour HTC-Highroad to make an exit. In August, the team announced that it failed to find a new title sponsor and was about to leave cycling by the end of this year.
A number of HTC-Highroad riders were moving to other teams. Eisel, along with Danny Pate and Mark Cavendish, moved to Sky Team for 2012. Tejay Van Garderen moved to BMC Racing and Alex Rasmussen joined Garmin-Cervelo Team.
Eisel told the media, “I think that team owner Bob was probably right in the end to call it quits. They could probably have kept it going for one more year but it didn’t make sense, as a World Tour team, to be on the financial limit like that”.
Eisel started his professional career with Mapei-Quick Step in 2000 and grabbed the overall second place in Paris-Correze Tour. He also took the second stage of Erik Breukink and the fourth stage of Tour du Limousin in 2003.
He joined T-Mobile Team in 2007, at the same time as Cavendish, and the duo rode together as teammates at various races.
Cavendish is considered to be the best sprinter and Eisel, the most knowledgeable rider, has guided him through numerous challenges.
The Austrian rider says that Cavendish should keep away from complicated races, like the Tour of Flanders.
Eisel took the third place in Philadelphia International Championship in 2007 and also won the fifth stage of Volta ao Algarve 2008.
He continued his effort and secured the second stage of Tour de Suisse 2009. Recently, he secured the seventh place in Paris Roubaix behind the race winner, Johan Vansummeren of Garmin-Cervélo Team.
He explained, “Sky not going to be a one-man show: he’ll be the number one sprinter but at HTC he wanted to ride the Classics partly so that he could help out early in the race, whereas at Sky there are better people to do that. Cav doesn’t have to help in other races”.
Terming HTC-Highroad’s exit as a sensible move, Eisel is looking forward to the coming season to see what is in store for him, with his new team, Team Sky.
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