Hushovd, Haussler, bolster Cervelo TestTeam’s Tour de Suisse squad; Carlos Sastre gets his MRI results

Heinrich Haussler and Thor Hushovd return to the Cervélo TestTeam lineup for the Tour of Switzerland starting this weekend, the team announced Tuesday.

“The Tour de Suisse is something special for us because we are based in the heart of Switzerland in Lucerne,” said Marcello Albasini, the team’s director. “The main goal for the team will be preparation for the Tour de France, especially for Thor Hushovd and Heinrich Haussler, both recovering from recent injuries.

“If we see a possibility, we will certainly try to win a stage but this is not our main focus right now,” he added.

Cervélo’s Carlos Sastre, meanwhile, is still undecided about starting the Tour de France. The 2008 Tour champion received results Tuesday from an MRI on his back.

The MRI showed that Sastre, who crashed twice at the Giro d’Italia, is suffering from a posterior spinal disc herniation and a central extruded disc of the L5S1 vertebra.

“What I do know right now is that, in theory, I have time to recover and be ready to ride in the Tour,” Sastre said. “But I don’t want to obsess about participating in it. The most important thing is my health and to be able to do my job in normal conditions.”

“What I do know right now is that, in theory, I have time to recover to ride in the Tour, but I don’t want to obsess about participating in it,” Sastre said in the statement. “I don’t plan to go if I’m going to feel burdened from day one. If I do end up competing in the race, it will be because I’m fully recovered.”

Cervélo TestTeam for the Tour de Suisse

Philip Deignan (IRL)
Xavier Florencio (ESP)
Heinrich Haussler (GER)
Jeremy Hunt (GBR)
Thor Hushovd (NOR)
Andreas Klier (GER)
Brett Lancaster (AUS)
Marcel Wyss (SUI)

Sports Directors
Marcello Albasini (SUI)
Jean-Paul Van Poppel (NED)