May 7, 2008

Source: Cycling News

Thor Hushovd, Crédit Agricole's Norwegian strongman, has proven himself to be a potent one-day rider with prologue wins at both the Tour de France and Paris-Nice, stage wins at Le Grand Boucle and other multi-day events, and even a win at Gent-Wevelgem in 2006. Unfortunately, though, Hushovd had a disappointing showing at this year's Paris-Roubaix: the 'Viking' abandoned the race at the first feed zone after reportedly suffering a nasty crash early on.

The morning of the start brought surprisingly pleasant conditions such that specially dedicated mud machines weren't entirely necessary. Even so, Hushovd set off from Compiègne aboard a Look 585 Origin instead of his usual 595. According to head mechanic Pascal Ridel, the swap wasn't made for any durability or strength reasons; it was strictly a question of comfort. "It's a little smoother than the 595," he said.