AUSTRALIAN born Heinrich Haussler is in a much better condition and position than his breakout performance last year according to team sport director Jean-Paul Van Poppel.

Van-Poppel believes Haussler is also better prepared mentally.

“He wants to show in all the Classics, but he is focused on the Ronde van Vlaanderen,” Van Poppel told Sporza.be.

“Haussler is more prepared than last year, because then it was new for him to fight at the front [in 2009]. And now he has won a stage of the Tour de France.”

“Heinrich is on schedule,” he said. “Last year he was perhaps too early to form.”

- with cyclingnews.com