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It took the flamboyance of the Kangaroo Kaiser to finally inject a bit of oomph in this year's soggy Tour de France.

Is there a nicer, more dedicated, genuine and honest chap in the peloton than Heinrich Haussler, emphatic winner of the wet and freezing stage 13 to Colmar?

Formerly of Gerolsteiner, a team so clearly not powered on the fizzy water of their sponsors alone, Haussler has come of age with Cervelo this year.

From his emphatic early season form we all knew the 25-year-old Australian-born German was a sprinter par excellence. And yet he was willing to come along on the Tour in support of team-mate Thor Hushovd, sacrificing his chance to win on the flat for the good of the team.

Given Mark Cavendish's form and his role as lead-out man for the big Norwegian, Haussler knew he had to play a different game if he wanted to nail that maiden Tour triumph. And unlike many riders in the peloton, he was able to adapt to realise that dream.

Calling Haussler a pure sprinter would be doing him a disservice. His success in this year's spring classics also flagged his abilities as a punchy, attacking rouleur - all of which were on display in the rain-soaked trek across the hills of the Vosges.

The finish was 30km from his home in Germany, the treacherous conditions were ideal for a man who loves wet and cold weather, and the undulating terrain - which he knows well from training - was perfectly conducive to the type of early attack he embarked upon with the combative Sylvain Chavanel.

But no one expected it to be Haussler - a rider hampered with saddle sores throughout the opening week of the Tour - and not Chavanel - cycling's Jack-of-all-trades - to climb the podium on Friday. That he did was a tribute to his dynamism, belief and brute force. No Cavendish crocodiles tears from Heiny, just sincere droplets of joy.

With Hushovd battling to a superb sixth position and snatching back the green jersey from Cav, it was the icing on the cake for Cervelo. In Haussler and Hushovd, the new team have a couple of riders who are multi-dimensional and who need no train ticket to steer them to their destination.

On a day that Tom Boonen said "all the sprinters are having the same problem and that has two words: Mark Cavendish," it was fitting that a couple of sprinters showed they had the character to come up with an alternative answer.

Haussler didn't beat Cavendish on Friday - he just did something Cav will never be able to do himself: win over the hills and against the elements. As for Hushovd, he didn't need to beat Cavendish, for the Manxman was puffing at the back of the autobus, contemplating life where green is a pair of disgusting sunglasses and not a coveted shirt in the Tour de France.

Just to reiterate, Blazin' Saddles is no Cav hater - the guy is one of the sport's true shining lights - but the events on the way to Colmar will have brought him down a few pegs; and that's good for both the sport and the rider in question.

QUOTES OF THE DAY: "Yes, you want the controls, yes, you want a clean event, but it's the hardest sporting event in the world. You can't go and pull guys out of their bed on the day of a mountain stage at 6am." Lance Armstrong hits back at claims Astana have deliberately delayed doping controls.

PLAT DU JOUR: For an aperitif have a glass of vin jaune, the local wine made from the grapes that grow exclusively in the Jura mountains. Then tuck into some quenelles de brochet (pike dumplings) and some saucisses de Morteau (local sausages smoked in large chimneys). For pudding, a nice papet jurassien (orange blossom tart) followed by a slice of Comte cheese. Bon apptit!

PREDICTION: Besancon is renowned for its watches and only last week the former yellow jersey Fabian Cancellara was harping on about impeccable Swiss timing. This final flat stage before the Alps could be ideal for Spartacus. Failing that, Stephane Auge may feel inspired to win in the home town of his namesake Gaspard Auge, one half of French electro outfit Justice.

Don't forget to follow Blazin' Saddles throughout the day on www.twitter.com/saddleblaze.

STAGE 14 LIVE at 1.15pm on Saturday on British Eurosport (Sky 410 / Virgin Media 521); Also available on your PC via the Eurosport Player - click on the link under the picture to subscribe

Felix Lowe / Eurosport