Thor Hushovd is known for an overconfident attitude to his sprint cycling, though it’s hard to blame him with so many accolades under his belt already.
ITV.com/tour brings you a detailed insight into the man known to be Mark Cavendish’s closest rival.
Hushovd took up cycling at the age of ten and promptly went on to win every single race in his first season. His first great cycling achievement was winning the U23 World Time Trial Championships in 1998, prior to going professional.
In 2000, his second year as a pro cyclist, Hushovd came to prominence by winning the Tour de Normandie and being a member of the winning team time trial squad at the 2001 Tour de France.
Hushovd continued his streak early on in his career and took individual stage wins in the Tour de France and the Dauphiné Libéré.
In 2006, he also became the first Norwegian to wear the maillot jaune in the Tour de France - Hushovd won the prologue in Strasbourg and wore the yellow jersey despite a cut arm. He soldiered on with stitches and regained the maillot jaune after the second stage.
Hushovd has been marked as a potential surprise package for this year’s Tour de France. Now part of the Cervélo Test Team, and with a Tour of California stage win to his credit already, Hushovd is set to pose a serious threat now that his team contains many more seasoned riders.
