World champion believes with the right people in place, project would be a success
He’s said that he is satisfied with the setup of the Garmin-Cervélo team and is looking forward to the season ahead. But longer term, Thor Hushovd has said that he would like to finish up his career with a team from his home country.
“For me, it would be a dream to end on a Norwegian team,” the world road race champions told TV2 Sport. “Although there is much that is needed, I have always had the belief that it should be possible to achieve.”
Hushovd’s belief that such a project could be brought to fruition is based in part to what he has seen occur around the Schleck brothers. Luxembourg is a far smaller country, with one tenth of the population of Norway, but with the right backers in place the as-yet unnamed Luxembourg team looks set to be one of the very strongest in the sport in 2011.
“I believe there is an opportunity to get to a Norwegian team in the cycling circuit. We see the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project. They worked behind the scenes for a few months and next year starts the season - on paper – as one of the world's best cycling teams. It shows that it can happen fast.
“The level in Norway has been much higher in recent years, and not least the breadth [of talent] has been improved. It is from those we see the peaks [best riders] that can qualify to ride for good team, but if we get a Norwegian team then we must also have many foreigners to lift it.”
Hushovd said that a key factor would be to get the right funding behind it, ensuring that the budget is in place. In addition, there would have to be a strong management team to run it, with those being involved carrying out the roles in an organised manner. If that’s done, he believes it can be a success.
“To become a reality, there must be a group of the right people with the right experience,” he stated. “And it must be done in a serious way.”
Hushovd is now 32 years of age, giving several years for the project to become a reality. He has a one year contract with Garmin-Cervélo and said that he will decided over the next few months if he will remain there in 2012 or go elsewhere.