He wears his heart on his sleeve, and that was clear for all to see, and hear, when Heinrich Haussler (Bahrain-Merida) crossed the line to finish 14th in Paris-Roubaix. The Australian spent the majority of the race on the defensive after two untimely punctures robbed him of a chance of a high finish. He chased valiantly throughout the race, and even had the strength to skip off the main field in the closing stages of the race, before coming home behind a group that contained a number of favourites. `I had two flat tyres and a mechanical. I chased and chased, but wasted so much energy just to get back,` Haussler told Cyclingnews as he tried to gather his thoughts after a jarring day on the cobbles.ADVERTISEMENT `I felt good and I wasn`t ready to give up, but today`s been an absolute disaster. I`m so pissed off. That`s Roubaix, and that`s the way it is, but I just wanted a bit of fucking luck. That`s the only race I`ve been working towards this year...` Two years ago, Haussler`s career was shrouded in doubt due to a knee injury, but, since the end of 2017, he has rebuilt his reputation as one of the most dependable Classics riders in the peloton. He was a road captain at the Tour de France last year, but this season his focus was on the spring Classics, and especially Roubaix. Ask any rider and they`ll tell you that losing to a better rider hurts, but that losing after suffering bad luck hurts even more. That was clear as Haussler explained his race. `I had a flat tyre before the Arenberg, and that`s just the way it is,` he said. `I just couldn`t get back because the cars don`t help you. They just form a barrage. I`m super angry, I`m super disappointed. I came back, but by then it was too late.
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