Cancellara wins Tour of Flanders
Source: Agencies |
April 6, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SWITZERLAND'S Fabian Cancellara shook off Tom Boonen on the toughest climb of the Tour of Flanders in Belgium and raced away to a solo victory ahead of the Belgian champion in one of the season's top one-day classics.
Cancellara broke away on the Wall of Geraardsbergen with 17 kilometers to go on Sunday and the reigning Olympic and world time trial champion never gave Boonen a chance to get close again, finishing with an edge of 1.15 minutes. Belgium's Philippe Gilbert was third, 2.11 minutes back.
"The Wall is legendary. I gave it all I had," Cancellara said. The Swiss champion finished the 262km in 6 hours 25 minutes, 56 seconds.
Lance Armstrong was close to the head of the pack up until the last 30km and finished 27th as the leading Team Radioshack rider.
Cancellara was totally relaxed over the last 12km along the flat roads, casually resting his forearms on the handlebar as he powered to the finish. It was Cancellara's biggest one-day victory since he took the Milan-San Remo classic two years ago. He took Paris-Roubaix in 2006 and, at 29, has now won three of the five leading one-day races.
"Toughest of all was to win the Tour of Flanders as a favorite. If you can do it like that, it doesn't get any better for an athlete," Cancellara said.
Midway through the morning, 198 racers left in the rain from under the Gothic spires of medieval Bruges on a long trek through the wind-swept flat lands of Flanders. By the time the pack caught the early breakaways with 60km to go, it had been whittled down to some 60 riders.
(AP)
Cancellara broke away on the Wall of Geraardsbergen with 17 kilometers to go on Sunday and the reigning Olympic and world time trial champion never gave Boonen a chance to get close again, finishing with an edge of 1.15 minutes. Belgium's Philippe Gilbert was third, 2.11 minutes back.
"The Wall is legendary. I gave it all I had," Cancellara said. The Swiss champion finished the 262km in 6 hours 25 minutes, 56 seconds.
Lance Armstrong was close to the head of the pack up until the last 30km and finished 27th as the leading Team Radioshack rider.
Cancellara was totally relaxed over the last 12km along the flat roads, casually resting his forearms on the handlebar as he powered to the finish. It was Cancellara's biggest one-day victory since he took the Milan-San Remo classic two years ago. He took Paris-Roubaix in 2006 and, at 29, has now won three of the five leading one-day races.
"Toughest of all was to win the Tour of Flanders as a favorite. If you can do it like that, it doesn't get any better for an athlete," Cancellara said.
Midway through the morning, 198 racers left in the rain from under the Gothic spires of medieval Bruges on a long trek through the wind-swept flat lands of Flanders. By the time the pack caught the early breakaways with 60km to go, it had been whittled down to some 60 riders.
(AP)
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