Fabian Cancellara is not a bunch sprinter, but he used his powerful engine to almost get a medal in the men's road race. The Swiss rider stormed along the finishing straight that heavily tilted upwards. He didn't stand a chance against Mark Cavendish and Matthew Goss, but almost was rewarded with his second medal of the Championships.
In the end, he was pitted against another bunch sprinter, André Greipel, who was too far back to contest for the win. The German came closer and closer to Cancellara and in the end it was a matter of experience. Greipel pushed his bike in sprinter's style across the line, while Cancellara could only manage a small press.
This made the difference, albeit only by millimeters. The photo finish had to decide the order, although the way Cancellara leaned over his bike after the finish, it seemed he already knew the outcome. "I was beaten by three pure sprinters in the end," said Cancellara on his team's website. "I can make my mark in a sprint, but I'm not like them. I felt really good - strong. I knew that it was possible to get a medal. In the end, it came down to the sprint as predicted. I am fourth, and the Swiss team can be proud of this."
Right after the finish, he was disappointed that his efforts fell just short. "I lost the medal and for the moment, I'm not happy," Cancellara said. "That's normal. Everybody on my team and in the press has already said I should be happy. They say 'Hey, it's amazing to take fourth place for you as a non-sprinter,' and the people with the Swiss team tell that what I have done is enough."
But Cancellara is a winner's type. "I have my ambitions," he said. "I wanted to win, and this is hard to accept. I do not feel happy with fourth place. I have a heart for the sport. I want to give everything, always. When I am beaten, it's normal that I will be not happy."
He knows that down the road he will look back at these Championships proud of his accomplishments in Copenhagen. "Hours will pass and I'll come to realize that I can be happy with what I have done at Worlds," said Cancellara. "I had a bad day in the time trial and a good day on the road. Third and fourth place in Worlds is not bad, even though these are not the places that people remember."
There was no question about the winner and his team. "Cavendish deserved to win with Great Britain, that's for sure," commented Cancellara. "They did an amazing job the entire race."
Over time, the good memories of Copenhagen will prevail in Cancellara's mind. "There was amazing support from the people out on the road," said Cancellara. "It really was a beautiful day. We had nice weather and strong support. There was lots of cheering all day. Worlds is always an amazing experience."
Cancellara was reflective about his mediocre year by his own standards. "I have a lot of good lesser places this year," he said. "I missed out on many victories. This is confirmation that I'm not all here. I was not bad, but something was missing this year. I'll have a good rest and think about what needs to change to get on with victories in the next season."
He admitted after the time trial that he had mentally lost it when he heard the split times of winner Tony Martin. In the end, even the silver slipped out of underneath him by five seconds, against another Briton, Bradley Wiggins.