Thor Hushovd takes the Third Stage at the Tour
Norwegian Tour de France contender Thor Hushovd won the third stage today for the Cervelo Test Team and took the green jersey.
It was an attack in the last kilometer by Canadian contender Ryder Hesjedal which prompted Hushovd to sprint for the green jersey, which he had planned to win in the Tour’s second stage. Hushovd's second stage aspirations were ended when the then current yellow jersey holder, Fabian Cancellara, convinced the leading group not to sprint after a crash which put Sylvain Chavanal well ahead and the Schleck brothers well behind.
"Why should Cancellara decide? I've been riding all day for the stage win and the green jersey and I end up with nothing. This is not fair. Will the same thing happen tomorrow? Will the times for GC be taken before the pavé sections? If a big rider crashes tomorrow on the cobbles, he's entitled to ask for the race to be neutralized too? So when will we race?" Hushovd told CyclingNews.
While the third stage was also plagued with crashes which took Frank Schleck out of the race and lost significant time for favourites Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong, Hushovd pulled through for the victory as part of the leading group including Hesjedal and British contenders Cadel Evans and Gerraint Thomas.
“I know that when Cancellara attacks, you cannot let him get 20 meters because you’ll never see him again,” said Hushovd after the race. “I think, in the end, he realized that he could ride with the view of getting the yellow jersey back and also to help Andy with his cause. For me, it was up to me to play on what they were doing and make it work to my advantage—and go for the stage win.”
Hushovd, the current Norwegian road race champion, specializes in sprinting and time trialing, and is consider by British contender Mark Cavendish—who has been called the best sprinter in the world and who rarely admits a weakness—as one of his biggest rivals.
Hushovd previously wore the green jersey at last year’s Tour de France when he placed ahead of Cavendish,and in 2006 he was the first Norwegian ever to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour, holding it for the first and third stages. His strong Cervelo Test Team includes British cyclists Jeremy Hunt and Dan Lloyd helped him immensly through the Tour.
The green jersey holder began cycling professionally in 1998 and joined the Switzerland-based team in 2009.
“For me, it was easy to decide to join the Cervelo Test Team," he said in 2009 to Roadcycling. “I like the idea of this team, where not only victories count but also the opportunity to work together with the cycling industry. I think this is a modern way to run a team and is the future of cycling as a sport. After nine years with Credite Agricole, I am looking forward to the new challenges together with the Cervélo TestTeam.
“My focus in the next season will be on the spring classics and I would like to win the green jersey for the Cervélo TestTeam in the Tour de France.”
Hushovd’s overall standing after the third stage is 7th, while his team stands in 13th in the team classification. He plans to win more stages and to win the overall points classification of the Tour de France for the third time, after 2005 and 2009.
“Today I had everything,” said Hushovd after his third stage victory. “This is a first step for the green jersey. I know that for now, I’m glad I did what I did, and I still have the means to defend the jersey for long. My team is very strong, and I feel very fast, so I think I can still win other stages."
Tags: