A farewell to Fabian Cancellara

[velotrack]

http://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/CANCELLARA-Fabian014p-630x420.jpg

World class time trial-er turned one-day specialist. Numerous tour stages and lots of time in yellow, 2 Olympic golds, an Olympic silver, numerous WC titles. Milan San Remo, Paris Roubaix, Flanders, E3... lots more, even as he pushed into his mid 30's. Plus, the only guy to ride for Trek for that many years and still look cool doing it.

Cancellara’s modern rivals, men like Tom Boonen, Peter Sagan, and Tony Martin, could only top him within their specialty. Perhaps they were better on certain springtime days, or in a single time trial, but they could not touch his versatility. Martin could not crack Roubaix, and Boonen never even bothered with the world time trial. Cancellara often felt a hold-over from some bygone era when the biggest stars felt they could do anything, and did.

One of the best riders of this generation, and I think not many would disagree. Gonna miss watching him. Though many do not fully leave cycling, he is one I would not mind to see come back.

[r_mutt]

you left out the part where he torched boonen up the muir with the aid of a motor...


:fight:

[saab2000]

you left out the part where he torched boonen up the muir with the aid of a motor...


:fight:

I wonder if he won this year's Olympic TT with a motor...:beer:

[benb]

Whatever he did or didn't do he was a lot of fun to watch. The last few years he's definitely one of the guys that got me paying attention to races again after pretty much giving up after the whole Postal thing blew up.

[ANAO]

His name is Fabian and he wears IWC. Do you need more reasons?

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[velotrack]

you left out the part where he torched boonen up the muir with the aid of a motor...


:fight:

I wonder if he won this year's Olympic TT with a motor...:beer:

You guys are joking, right? Can nobody be good these days without some sort of wack allegation? :(

Seems like if you don't have results, you're not a good rider, and if you have good results, you're cheating. What a poor dichotomy.

[ANAO]

They're joking. They must be.

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[veloduffer]

Goodbye Spartacus! A fine classics rider is always enjoyable to watch. It was great watching him ride against Boonen. Too bad injuries limited their head-to-head competition these past few years.


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[MattTuck]

You guys are joking, right? Can nobody be good these days without some sort of wack allegation? :(

Seems like if you don't have results, you're not a good rider, and if you have good results, you're cheating. What a poor dichotomy.

Don't worry, he had a TUE for the motor. Helps with his EIA. joking of course. He will be missed.

[saab2000]

You guys are joking, right? Can nobody be good these days without some sort of wack allegation? :(

Seems like if you don't have results, you're not a good rider, and if you have good results, you're cheating. What a poor dichotomy.

I'm 100% joking. If there was even a shred of truth to the motor allegations he would have never won another race. But he kept winning, even while under the microscope.

As much as I'm sorry to see him leave the stage, he's leaving at the right time. What a career!

[bobswire]

This was classic Spartacus .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXqQqAc2pA

[FlashUNC]

His win against Stybar and Vanmarcke in Roubaix was the stuff of genius.

We'll not see anyone like him again for a long time I think.

[soulspinner]

his win against stybar and vanmarcke in roubaix was the stuff of genius.

We'll not see anyone like him again for a long time i think.

+1

[MattTuck]

His win against Stybar and Vanmarcke in Roubaix was the stuff of genius.

We'll not see anyone like him again for a long time I think.

and luck!

Stijn Vandenbergh and Stybar had numbers against Cancellara and Vanmarcke, then Vandenbergh gets taken out by a spectator, and Stybar get the ol' camera in the face... This is the stuff of Patrick Lefevere's nightmares.

Still, agree that his tactics with Vanmarcke and his tactics leading up to that final quartet were great. 3 RvVs, 3 PRs and a MSR. The guy was a picture of beauty and brawn on the bike. Those tactical wins are a great counterpoint to his more long range dominant performances.

I haven't gone back to watch Flanders from this year yet, but I am sure that he could have won it if he went with the move.

[estilley]

Don't forget about Strada Bianca 2016!!


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[CunegoFan]

You guys are joking, right? Can nobody be good these days without some sort of wack allegation? :(

Seems like if you don't have results, you're not a good rider, and if you have good results, you're cheating. What a poor dichotomy.

You want to hear whack? Let's remember good ol' Luigi. Floyd remembers him. At the 2009 Tour of California presentation, Luigi refused to stand next to Floyd, who had some choice but unprintable words when he heard Luigi was retiring. Was it that same year or the year before when Luigi publicly decried the presence of Mancebo, Sevilla, Hamilton, etc. even though he was a customer of the same dope doctor? Yeah, whack.

[velotrack]

You want to hear whack? Let's remember good ol' Luigi. Floyd remembers him. At the 2009 Tour of California presentation, Luigi refused to stand next to Floyd, who had some choice but unprintable words when he heard Luigi was retiring. Was it that same year or the year before when Luigi publicly decried the presence of Mancebo, Sevilla, Hamilton, etc. even though he was a customer of the same dope doctor? Yeah, whack.

If anyone finds any more information other than the possible name "Luigi" and a few words outta Tyler Hamilton's mouth, maybe 5% of the population will start to believe that kind of speculation. Been following Lance's twitter a little too closely? :help:

[KJMUNC]

This was classic Spartacus .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXqQqAc2pA

that descent is madness! not sure how I've never seen that before.

Hey, you can own one of Spartacus's bikes if you want to part with $5,250!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-Leopard-Trek-Madone-58-Cm-Fabian-Cancellara-Spartacus-secondary-bike-/291907473009?hash=item43f70a8e71:g:aHAAAOSw9IpX1aK D

I've emailed the seller and he isn't willing to budge a nickel. Good luck with that buddy. :cool:

[ANAO]

that descent is madness! not sure how I've never seen that before.

Hey, you can own one of Spartacus's bikes if you want to part with $5,250!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-Leopard-Trek-Madone-58-Cm-Fabian-Cancellara-Spartacus-secondary-bike-/291907473009?hash=item43f70a8e71:g:aHAAAOSw9IpX1aK D

I've emailed the seller and he isn't willing to budge a nickel. Good luck with that buddy. :cool:
Yeah, but that's not period correct. Maybe worth $1,500.

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[Little Bill]

That looks 100% fake.

[Web1111a]

Campy wheels on a trek team bike?

I would want to know what is the proof here


How did this end up in ca?

[KJMUNC]

Yeah, but that's not period correct. Maybe worth $1,500.

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That was pretty much my thought......I bought a legit Cipollini race bike, certified from Bianchi that he raced in Qatar during his last season for less than half of what he's asking and I know of a Boonen bike that's in the same range. $5k for this is nuts.

[victoryfactory]

A great champion imo.
Loved to watch him race.

VF

[sasteelman]

Think he was a really great rider and gave entertaining interviews.

[r_mutt]

You guys are joking, right? Can nobody be good these days without some sort of wack allegation? :(

Seems like if you don't have results, you're not a good rider, and if you have good results, you're cheating. What a poor dichotomy.


do you feel bad for me because i don't believe in miracles?

realistically, i understand that there are sports figures (in all sports) who are doping- whether is chemical or mechanical, something is going on. let's take american football for instance- everyone knows most of them are on the juice- but does anyone care? it only bother's me a little. i'm not so much a fan anymore that it makes me upset that my "hero" is using something for an advantage. let's say boonen or sagan were busted doping. i'd say that's a shame but i would not be surprised. i don't let it affect my entertainment of watching the sport.

as for the motor. there are plenty of smarter people than you or i in the cycling industry who say that something funny was going on in a few races in 2010.

[PQJ]

I don't buy the motor theory but it is extraordinarily naive to believe that Fabian raced clean (other than perhaps towards the end of his career). Yeah, I get the emotional attachment some feel towards Spartacus (I was a fanboy too, once), but there's no way in hell he wasn't on the same program as most everyone else.