Sunday 27 September 2009

Fabian Cancellara



Fabian Cancellara embodies what many cyclists would love to be, a great all rounder. Be it TT, Cobbles, Short Stage Races he has a palmares unlike any other rider in the peloton at the moment. I think his exploits and his refusal to be pigeon holed make him an inspiration for cyclists the worlds over.



Cancellara's season didn't start so well compared to previous seasons. Missing out both in Flanders (snapped chain) and Roubaix, romours were rife that Fabian didn't like his new Specialized bike. In public I doubt you will ever here him say it, but what has been absent is the praise he used to bestow on the Cervelo machine. Specialized decided to make a new TT rig, which came as a surprise from one angle but in another it makes sense, this guy can TT like no other. Their (Specialized's)investment has proved to be a shrewd one as he is back on a winning streak.



My question is when will they build a bike that suits him for the Cobbles. The S-Works Roubaix and the S-Works Tarmac have been crafted with the input of the (now defunked) Gerolsteiner and Quick Step Teams. There has been a lot of input from Tom Boonen and it has proved again that investing in a machine for the star riders has captured the two biggest scalps in Cobbles Week, two years on the trot.



There is a lot of speculation to whether Specialized will continue with Quick Step for next season. They reputtedly but in a large bid to be the bike manufacturer of Team Sky, but didn't get it. So it might be that Saxo Bank are the only Team on the bikes for next year, we'll have to wait until January to find out.

Being unhappy with the current Specialized machine has fuelled rumours that Fabian may be looking to ply his trade elsewhere. SKY is the only name I have heard mentioned and if he does go he would be reunited with a previous bike that he has had some success on before. If the rumour is half true and if I was in Riis and SBC's shoes I would do everything in my power to keep him and provide him with the equipment he needs. He could well win the Road World Championships today to add to his TT medal he won on Saturday.


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