On the same day that a crash put a question mark over Samuel Sanchez’s chances of riding the world road race championships, Fabian Cancellara appears set to also miss the races.
The Swiss rider had hoped to regain the time trial rainbow jersey he lost last year to Tony Martin but his crash in the Olympic road race and a brave but ultimately unsuccessful ride in the Olympic time trial have badly affected his morale.
He had set the Olympic title as his big goal after crashing in the Tour of Flanders, shattering his collarbone and missing out on his ambition of taking a Classic victory.
According to Tages-Anzeiger, Cancellara has decided to have the screws taken out of his clavicle in the next fortnight and to call an end to what has been a very frustrating season.
His manager Armin Meier said that everything came to the surface in London. “He lost his head in the Olympic time trial, and not because of the physical problems from the fall,” he said.
Swiss Cycling’s head of sports performance Thomas Peter has been trying to get his motivation back, but concedes that there is only a fifteen to twenty percent chance that he might go to the worlds. “We tried to explain to him that it would not hurt him this year to contest the race,” he said. “To end the season on August first is hardly of long-term advantage. The question is whether he will lose shape next spring after such a long absence. It easier now to build miles rather than in the cold in November.”
Four-time world champion Cancellara has much on his mind this season. Apart from those two big crashes in targeted events, he has also been affected by the demoralizing atmosphere at the RadioShack team. There were rumours that he could jump ship for next season but he has a year remaining on his contract and, according to general manager Johan Bruyneel, no riders will be allowed to leave.
One bright point amid the frustration for Cancellara was his Tour de France prologue. He was victorious there and wore yellow for a week; earlier in the season, he won Strade Bianche and the Tirreno Adratico time trial, and was also second in Milan Sanremo.