Recently retired Heinrich Haussler joins BORA - hansgrohe as Assistant Sports Director

Only retiring on the 7th of April, 39-year-old Australian, Heinrich Haussler has now joined the BORA - hansgrohe set-up as an Assistant Sports Director.

"I am really looking forward to this new challenge. I talked with Rolf Aldag last year, albeit somewhat in jest, about a career as Sports Director," the former Tour de France stage winner tells his new team's official website. "Over the last few weeks, it became more concrete. I have always had a very good relationship with Rolf and great respect for his competence. So it was clear to me that if I could, I would take the chance to work with him. The talks with Ralph Denk also gave me confidence that BORA - hansgrohe is the right team for me, for this new chapter."

Spending the final few years of his career with Bahrain - Victorious, Haussler won stages of the Tour and the Vuelta a Espana during his pomp and finished 2nd at the 2009 edition of Milano-Sanremo. "I want to help the guys avoid mistakes that I made. I’ve been able to gain a lot of experience, particularly in the classics, and I’d like to pass that on to the riders. I'm really pleased to be staying in cycling within a new capacity, it's going to be a great time," he concludes.

"I had a lot of respect for Heinrich's attitude even when he was a rider. He never cared about the weather at races, he never complained or looked for excuses. That impressed me. I hope that he will be able to teach the younger riders what it means to be a professional cyclist," adds Ralph Denk, Team Manager at BORA. "In general, he is still well established in the peloton and has a good rapport and connection with younger riders. In the last few years, we have already hired a few Sports Directors who have made this type of career step with us. That has worked out well and that's why we're continuing to follow this path."