Fantastic Victory for Fabian Cancellara
[22.03 16:37] Milano-Sanremo turned out to be a major triumph for Team CSC and Fabian Cancellara, who after excellent preparation from his teammates ended up crossing the finish line solo ahead of an otherwise strong front group.
In a fantastic finale with a surprising number of attacks both on Cipressa and Poggio several of the great classic's specialists tore themselves loose from the peloton a few at a time. They came together in between the two famous climbs, but it soon became clear that Cipressa had gotten the better of many of the riders in the peloton.
Kroon and Schleck helped close the initial gaps and later several other Team CSC members were up front between Cipressa and Poggio pulling the peloton. When a dangerous group started forming on Poggio Cancellara escaped from the peloton and bridged up to a front group containing Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner), World Champ Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) and Oscar Freire (Rabobank) amongst others.
But none of them were able to keep up on the descent or the flat stretch just before the finish line, when Cancellara turned up the volume to the max and put a big fat line under the fact that it is no coincidence that he has won the World Time Trial Championship two years in a row.
Behind Cancellara Filippo Pozzato (Liquigas) won the sprint for the second place. This was Team CSC's tenth victory this year and Cancellara's third this week.
"I've just won one of the greatest races there are and I'm extremely excited. I'm happy and proud to be able to finish the hard work my teammates did out there. First of all they deserve big credit for their efforts today," said Fabian Cancellara after his brilliant victory.
"I didn't actually feel that great at the beginning, but once we got the first climbs out of the way, I got a clear feeling that today was one of those days where everything just might come together perfectly," explained the Swiss tempo rider and continued:
"On Poggio I made sure to keep up but without using all my energy and at the same time making sure to be among the first to cross, so I wouldn't loose any time on the descent. I felt in control and was able to keep my head cool so I knew exactly when to attack at the end."
After his victory in Tirreno-Adriatico everyone considered Cancellara to be among the favorites this Saturday and as it turned out he managed to time his efforts to perfection.
"I've said it before that I'm capable of winning Milano-Sanremo, but it's always difficult to pinpoint exactly when. Today I got the chance and I'm extremely happy to have won this race," concluded Cancellara.
Milano - Sanremo; Results |
