Swiss rider to give Ardennes Classic a miss
Aiming to win the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix again, Fabian Cancellara has indicated that he doesn’t intend to take part in Liège-Bastogne-Liège this year.
The Swiss Leopard Trek rider has named the Classic as one of his targets for the future and taking part would be helpful to learn about the course, but it won’t happen this season.
“I’m the holder of the title in Roubaix [as 2010 winner], I cannot drop this race as Philippe Gilbert has done to shine at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. That is why I renounce Liège,” he said, according to Cyclism’Actu.
“I absolutely want to dispute Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but not yet this year. You do not often get the chance to start a career in both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix with the number 1.”
Cancellara picked up his first win of the season yesterday when he triumphed in the final time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico. He will next be in action in Milan-Sanremo, where he will start as a dangerous rider who must be watched. He won the race three years ago with a late break, soloing to victory in the Italian city, and will be marked by teams such as HTC Highroad, Garmin-Cervélo and others.
His big targets are Flanders and Roubaix, though. His form is on the up and he’s aiming to once again hit the other riders on the cobbles.
Cancellara’s future goal of trying to win Liège is likely to require weight loss on his part. He’s 80 kilos and has accepted that he needs to become lighter.