Dual role for Roulston

BY DAVID LONG

NEW Zealand cyclist Hayden Roulston says he's been given two important jobs for his Cervelo Test Team at this year's Tour de France.

Roulston will be riding in his first Tour and joins fellow New Zealander Julian Dean, who rides for the Garmin Slipstream team.

The 28-year-old Roulston who won a silver and bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics last year on the track says he's been charged with aiding team-mate Carlos Sastre in his attempt to retain the title and help Thor Hushovd win the flat stages which will be determined by mass sprints.

"I'll have a dual role," Roulston told Sunday News.

"I'll play a very important part in the lead out for Thor. The longest part of the lead out, which sets him up for the sprint finish, is my turn.

"It's unknown yet what my role will be for Carlos, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to do a good job for him in the early stages of the hard climbs.

"That's partly why I'm in the team, because there are a couple of different things that I can do.

"The team is built around Carlos and also our sprinter Thor. There are two leaders in the team some days we'll work for Thor and some days for Carlos.

"Between the two it's going to be a really successful tour and I'm really quite amped to get going now."

Roulston would have raced in the Giro d'Italia earlier this year but a fall in the Paris-Roubaix left him injured. His preparation for the Tour de France went well and he just completed a five-day race in the Netherlands to get himself in the right condition.

"I'm probably the happiest I've ever been in terms of team-mates and team morale," said Roulston.

"I'm just in a great space at the moment and this is a good time of my life to finally put my foot down and try to get a good contract for the years coming and cement my future in the sport. I feel I'm in really good shape."

The Tour usually kicks off with a short prologue stage which is a time trial over a few kilometres. With Roulston's track background it would have been a great opportunity for him to win the stage and be the the first holder of the yellow jersey. But this year the Tour begins with a longer 15.5km time trial around Monaco. It will make it harder for Roulston to win the stage.

"I'm going to go out there and give it my best. But at this stage I'm employed by the team to do a job for the leaders," he said.

"If I had that magical day and won the yellow jersey, of course the team would be over the moon.

"But it wouldn't be something the team would like to keep for as long as possible.

"I'm not going there to win the Tour de France.

"We have guys in the team paid good money to do that. My job is to aid them in any way I can."

- © Fairfax NZ News