Cyclingheroes: The first half of the season is over, are you satisfied
with the results of Toyota-United in the first part of the season?
Harm Jansen: Absolutely. We are well on our way to accomplishing our
primary goal, which is to win the team classification for the National Race Calendar standings. [Toyota-United has been first
or second all season long.] Plus, we have scored victories in two ProTour [continental] events, the Amgen Tour of California
and the Tour de Georgia. Of course, we’ve had a few injuries here and there, but you always have to account for that.
Cyclingheroes:
After J.J. Haedo left the team to start a Pro-Tour adventure with CSC, Toyota-United still had Ivan Dominguez for the sprints.
He is having a great season isn't he?
Harm Jansen:
We’re very fortunate to have a rider as talented as Ivan. Unfortunately, he is injured at the moment. [Ivan Dominguez injured
his back and ribs in a crash in mid-May at the Tri-Peaks Challenge.] He is a very important part of our success and we hope
to have him back racing with us by the first week of July.
Cyclingheroes: In
an interview with dailypeloton.com Ivan Stevic said that Henk Vogels told him he could be good in the European classics, do
you think that as well?
Harm Jansen: Ivan has showed that he has the potential to do well, no
matter what the venue. But you can never forget that cycling is predominantly a European sport so the racing there is different
than what is taking place here in the United States. It would be great if Ivan could test the waters
with some of the sport’s biggest racers because eventually, we want to compete in some races outside the U.S.
Cyclingheroes:
Talking about Ivan Stevic, are you satisfied with his results in the first part of the season?
Harm Jansen:
Yes, Ivan showed last year that he could produce results in races of all kinds [criteriums, stage races, one-day events]
so this year, we have tried to play to his strengths. When Ivan Dominguez is competing along side of him, we have often made
Ivan Stevic our “wild card” and let him take advantage of other teams concentrating on the other Ivan. A good
example of this was Stage 2 at the Tour de Georgia, when Ivan Stevic attacked on Clocktower Hill and went on to easily take
the stage. Many of the other teams were watching Ivan Dominguez and not marking Stevic.
Cyclingheroes:
You have had a few impressive wins as a rider in Europe, like winning the fifth stage of
the 1994 Peace Race. What was the reason to go to the US?
Harm Jansen:
I had no particular reason to go to the United States.
Shortly after that win in the Peace Race, I quit cycling because of mononucleosis. After I was recovered from that, I was
invited to come over to the U.S. for a
race. I looked at it as a nice break from the studying I was doing at the time. So it was a vacation trip that turned into
me staying in the U.S.
Cyclingheroes:
Was there a big difference in the mid-nineties between racing in Europe and the US?
Harm Jansen:
Of course. There were more quality racers in Europe at the time. Plus, the speeds
were greater in Europe.
Cyclingheroes:
The UCI is considering to give the Tour of California a UCI Pro-Tour status. Would that be an important development for cycling
in the US?
Yes, any time you increase the quality of a race and give it an international designation, it is
good for the sport. But already, in just two shorts years,the Amgen Tour of California
has shown that it is a world class event that attracts some of the sport’s greatest talents.
Cyclingheroes:
What are the main goals in the second part of the season?
Harm Jansen: We are ramping up on the final stage races
of the season, with the Cascade Classic in mid-July. Then, we’ll be doing a fair amount of criteriums. The main goal
is to continue to win and stay in the lead in the National Race Calendar team standings. We’re plugging along, taking
it race-by-race.
