It’s hard to believe IAM Cycling rider Heinrich Haussler is now 30. Just a few years ago he was challenging for Sanremo and Flanders and was one of the guys billed to win a big Classic for sure. But that was ended by a series of injuries and seasons filled with bad luck.

Haussler won a few stages of the Bayern-Rundfahrt but never looked like his best. But having won the Australian Road Race, he has looked a new man since pulling on the jersey. He puts the change down to plenty of hard work on the bike but he wont be satisfied until he wins, meaning all his good placings in Qatar and Australia are not important to him.

“So far I’m happy with the form and the results but of course the only thing that counts are the wins," he says to Cyclingnews, as he quickly glances at the national jersey that sits a few feet away.

“And I’ve changed everything. There’s no skiing, there’s no altitude training, no gym work, it’s just me and my bike these days. That’s different but it’s working.”

Its testament to is character that after the countless bad hands he has been dealt, that Haussler can come back and work harder than ever to try to achieve his potential.

“This sport, it’s been frustrating for me for a long time but I still love it and I’m still passionate about it. But it takes a toll because you sacrifice your whole life for the bloody sport. You sacrifice everything and there’s no real lifestyle off the bike. You have to love it to do it, and you get paid for it but you still have to sacrifice relationships with people and that’s hard.” 

“What I said about the sacrifices, they can be so worth it. I mean maybe I’ll stop my career in six years and I’ll look back and if I’ve not won a Classic then that’s the way it is. I’ll accept that but I want to know that I’ve tried and gave it everything. If I didn’t have the talent, then I didn’t have it but I want to show I had the desire. I still have a few good years in me and I’ll give it everything.”

In 2009, he was second a big 59 seconds behind Stijn Devolder in Flanders, and second by a tire width behind Mark Cavendish in Sanremo. Since then, his career has been stop and start as he puts it.

“It meant that I was starting from scratch all over again. Since 2009 it’s been like that. You just need one good year in your legs in order to have a strong following season but since 2009 I’ve just had constant problems with my knees, with crashes and pulling out. I hadn’t done a Grand Tour since 2011 but then I did the Tour last year and even though I had to pull out, I finished with a full season in my legs last year. That’s been so important when you look at where I am now.”

“But last year in the Classics I was just shit. Because of what happened in the Tour de Suisse, (crashing and breaking his pelvis) I missed out on the rest of the season and then in the winter I was training like crazy, staying in St Moritz for eight weeks and I was so determined that I wanted to come back quickly. I remember turning up for the training camp at the start of the year in January and I knew then that I was fucked. But at the time you just don’t want to see it. You don’t want to accept that despite all the hard work you’re cooked.”

Now, in his interview with Cyclingnews, he reiterated something he said to CyclingQuotes in December: he is 100% focused on the Classics and just wants to win one, regardless of which one he takes.

“It doesn’t matter which one, it really doesn’t," he says, smiling.

“It’s going to be hard but you have to have dreams. If you have good luck, if you have good legs and you’re in the right position, then anything can happen.”