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Bak looking forward to finally having his chance at Lotto-Ridley

published 2 October 2011

Dane says always too low in hierarchy at Saxo Bank and Highroad

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Lars Bak (HTC-Columbia) came in third. (Image credit: Frank Rud Jensen)

Lars Bak is looking forward to having his own chance of success in the Spring Classics in 2012 with the new-look Lotto-Ridley team, chances he never had at his previous teams Saxo Bank and HTC-Highroad.

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“When I rode for Saxo Bank, I never had a chance. I was always among the best but it was never enough t osec for a place on the Tour team in the five seasons I rode for Bjarne Riis,” Bak told sporten.dk. “And when I started at HTC Highroad, I was again the lowest in the hierarchy again.”

Bak, 31, rode for Saxo Bank from 2005 to 2009, before joining HTC-Highroad for two seasons. With his move to the new team, “this time I think I will be a little higher up the hierarchy” than in the other teams.

“I talked a lot with Andre Greipel before I decided to sign with Lotto. They need an all-round rider who can help Greipel in the sprints and I've gained valuable experience riding for Mark Cavendish at HTC-Highroad.”

However, helping the sprinter is only a part of his plans for the coming season. A fifth-place finish in this year's Paris-Roubaix only whetted his appetite for more.

“I have really acquired a taste for the Classics. Paris-Roubaix is a race for which I will aim at 100 percent for next year. Lotto also has a rider Jurgen Roelandts, who is our man in Flanders and some of the Belgian spring races. But the sport directors of Lotto want me to be ready for the race too.”