Heinrich Haussler was due for a change of luck in his cycling career.

After several years of injuries and below-par form, the stars are aligning for the Australian all-rounder.

He avoided being pushed into the barricades to finish fifth behind German winner Marcel Kittel on Sunday in the People’s Choice Classic, the prelude to the Tour Down Under.

A week ago, Haussler’s chain came off just as he was crossing the line to win the Australian road race championship.

Had the mechanical mishap happened 20m earlier, it would have been a much different result.

“I’ve had, not necessarily bad luck, but with injuries … on the day, everything went perfectly,” Haussler said of his first national title.

“I had luck on the day, so I really can’t complain.”

Haussler’s star is on the rise again after several lean years.

He won a 2009 Tour de France stage and finished runner-up in Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders the same year.

But he suffered a knee injury in 2010 and is only now starting to show signs again of his best form.

While the IAM rider is unlikely to challenge for the overall Tour Down Under title, his national title makes him a rider to watch for stage wins.

Haussler said despite the late scare on Sunday, where he had to brake in his final sprint to avoid hitting the barricades, his form was good.

The Tour starts on Tuesday with a stage that looks well-suited to a rider of Haussler’s attributes.

It will also be Haussler’s first chance to wear the national champion jersey in competition.

Sunday race was not an official UCI event, so Haussler had to race in his standard IAM team jersey.

Tuesday’s undulating 132.6km stage starts in the Barossa town of Tanunda and heads south to the Adelaide suburb of Campbelltown.

Checker Hill at about 104km is a steep climb, but the race field will have plenty of time to close any gaps that form.

– AAP