Fabian Cancellara facts for kids
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Cancellara at the 2010 UCI Road World Championships
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Fabian Cancellara | ||
| Nickname | Spartacus | ||
| Born | 18 March 1981 Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland |
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| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb; 12 st 4 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Time trialist Classics specialist |
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| Major wins | |||
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Fabian Cancellara (born March 18, 1981) is a retired professional road racing cyclist from Switzerland. He was known by his nickname "Spartacus" because of his strength. Fabian was excellent at time trials and one-day classic races. He also helped his teammates in big races like the Grand Tours.
Fabian won two junior World Time Trial Championships in a row in 1998 and 1999. He became a professional cyclist at age 19. His first big win was at the 2004 Tour de France, where he won the first stage. This allowed him to wear the famous yellow jersey for a day. In 2006, he won his first World Time Trial Championship and the tough Paris–Roubaix race. He won the World Time Trial title again in 2007.
In 2008, Fabian won a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in the individual time trial. He also won the Milan–San Remo race that year. He became world time trial champion again in 2009. In 2010, he won both the Paris–Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders races. After some challenging years, Fabian won the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix again in 2013. He repeated his Tour of Flanders win in 2014. In 2016, he won his second Olympic gold medal in the individual time trial.
Contents
- Early Life and Cycling Start
- Professional Cycling Career
- First Professional Years (2000–2002)
- Rising Through the Ranks (2003–2005)
- First Classic Win (2006)
- Summer and Autumn Success (2007)
- Olympic Champion (2008)
- Time Trial Domination (2009)
- Many Victories (2010)
- Close Finishes (2011)
- Injuries and Comeback (2012)
- Return to Form (2013)
- Third Tour of Flanders Victory (2014)
- Crashes and Injuries (2015)
- Final Season (2016)
- Personal Life
- Career achievements
Early Life and Cycling Start
Fabian Cancellara was born in Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland, on March 18, 1981. He found an old family bike in the garage when he was 13. He loved it so much that he stopped playing football to focus on cycling. Fabian was also good at cross-country skiing when he was younger.
Fabian quickly showed his talent in cycling. He was especially good at time trials. His junior coach, Yvan Girard, said Fabian was "head and shoulders above everyone else." He won the junior World Time Trial Championship in both 1998 and 1999. At 19, he finished second in the Under-23 World Time Trial Championship in 2000.
Professional Cycling Career
First Professional Years (2000–2002)
After his success as a junior, Fabian Cancellara became a professional cyclist. He joined the Mapei–Quick-Step team in late 2000. This team was one of the best in the world. Fabian's first professional win was in the prologue of the Tour of Rhodes. He also won the overall race there.
In 2002, the Mapei team split into two groups. Fabian joined the "Gruppo Giovani" (youth group) to help young talents grow. During his two years with Mapei, Fabian used his time trial skills well. He won several individual time trials and a total of eleven races.
Rising Through the Ranks (2003–2005)
After his first team closed, Cancellara joined Fassa Bortolo in 2003. He helped his teammate Alessandro Petacchi in sprints. His first win with this team was in the Tour Méditerranéen. He helped his team win the team time trial stage. On April 6, Cancellara raced his first big classic race, the Tour of Flanders.
In 2004, Cancellara won a stage at the Tour of Qatar. He also won a stage at the Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme. He raced the Paris–Roubaix for the second time and finished fourth. Later, he won his second Swiss National Time Trial Championship. His big moment came at the 2004 Tour de France. He won the opening time trial stage in Liege, Belgium. This meant he wore the yellow jersey as the race leader for one day.
In 2005, Cancellara won a stage at Paris–Nice. He also won the final stage of the Setmana-Catalana. He raced the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix, finishing eighth in the latter. He won the Swiss National Time Trial Championship for the third time. At the Road World Championships, he finished third in the time trial event.
First Classic Win (2006)
Fabian Cancellara joined a new team, Team CSC, in 2006. His first win with them was a time trial stage at the Tirreno–Adriatico. A week later, he raced the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen. He finished sixth at the Tour of Flanders. The next weekend, he raced the Paris–Roubaix. Fabian attacked from the leading group and rode solo to win the race. This was his first major classic victory.
He also won a time trial stage at the Volta a Catalunya. In June, he won his third Swiss National Time Trial title. Later, he won two stages and the overall race at the Danmark Rundt. At the UCI Road World Championships, Fabian won the men's time trial by a large margin. He became the world champion in this event.
Summer and Autumn Success (2007)
Fabian Cancellara had a slower start to the 2007 season. He finished second at the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen. He then started to find success in June. He won the opening and closing time trial stages of the Tour de Suisse. He also won the Swiss national time trial.
Fabian won the opening time trial of the Tour de France in London. He wore the yellow jersey for several days. He also won the third stage of the Tour de France. He held the yellow jersey until the first mountain stage. In September, Cancellara defended his time trial world title. He won the time trial by a big lead.
Olympic Champion (2008)
Cancellara started 2008 by winning the prologue of the Tour of California. He then won the Monte Paschi Eroica race in Italy. He also won a time trial stage and the overall race at the Tirreno–Adriatico. A few days later, he won the Milan–San Remo classic race. He attacked near the end and rode to victory. At Paris–Roubaix, he finished second.
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He won the prologue of the Tour de Luxembourg. He also had great success at the Tour de Suisse, winning two stages and the points classification. Cancellara helped his teammate Carlos Sastre win the Tour de France overall.
At the Olympic Games in Beijing, Fabian won a silver medal in the road race. Four days later, he won the gold medal in the time trial event. He won by over thirty seconds. For his amazing year, Fabian was named the Swiss Male Athlete of the Year.
Time Trial Domination (2009)
Fabian Cancellara's first win of 2009 was the prologue of the Tour of California. He had some challenges in the early classic races. However, he started winning again in June at the Tour de Suisse. He won two time trial stages and the overall race. A week later, he won his first Swiss national road racing title.
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In July, he won the opening stage of the Tour de France. He wore the yellow jersey for several days. He also won two time trial stages at the Vuelta a España. He led that race for a few days too.
The Road World Championships were in Switzerland, Fabian's home country. He won the time trial event by a large margin. This was his third world championship in the time trial. He finished fifth in the road race.
Many Victories (2010)
Fabian Cancellara started 2010 by winning the overall title at the Tour of Oman. In March, he won the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen. On April 4, he raced the famous Tour of Flanders. Fabian attacked strongly and rode solo to win the race.
A week after his Tour of Flanders win, Cancellara raced the Paris–Roubaix. He made a powerful move far from the finish line. No one could keep up with him. Fabian rode solo to the finish and won by two minutes. He became one of the few cyclists to win both the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix in the same year.
He also won the prologue of the Tour de Suisse. Next, he won the opening prologue of the Tour de France. He wore the yellow jersey for several days. Later in the Tour, he won another individual time trial stage. At the Road World Championships, Fabian defended his time trial title. He won the time trial by over a minute. This made him the first man to win the time trial world championship four times.
Close Finishes (2011)
In 2011, Fabian Cancellara joined a new team, Leopard Trek. He won the final time trial stage of the Tirreno–Adriatico. At Milan–San Remo, he finished second in a close sprint.
He won the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen–Harelbeke after a solo attack. The next weekend, he raced the Tour of Flanders. He finished third in a very close sprint. At Paris–Roubaix, he finished second.
In June, Cancellara won the prologue of the Tour de Luxembourg. He also won the opening and closing time trial stages of the Tour de Suisse. He then won his second Swiss National Road Race title. At the Road World Championships, he finished third in the time trial. He also finished fourth in the road race.
Injuries and Comeback (2012)
Fabian Cancellara started 2012 well. He won the Strade Bianche race and a time trial stage at the Tirreno–Adriatico. He was strong at Milan–San Remo, finishing second.
However, a crash during the Tour of Flanders caused him to break his collarbone. This injury stopped him from racing for a while. He returned to racing in June at the Tour de Suisse.
At the Tour de France, Cancellara won the opening time trial stage. This was his fifth time winning the Tour prologue. He wore the yellow jersey for five days. This set a record for the most days in yellow for a rider who never won the Tour overall. He left the Tour early to be with his family.
Cancellara raced at the Olympic Games in London. He crashed during the road race but finished. He then raced the Olympic Time Trial but finished seventh. He ended his 2012 season early to recover from his injuries.
Return to Form (2013)
Fabian Cancellara started 2013 by racing in Qatar and Oman. He finished fourth at the Strade Bianche. He also finished third at Milan–San Remo in very bad weather.
His first win of the year was at E3 Harelbeke. This win showed he was ready for the Tour of Flanders. On the last lap of the Tour of Flanders, Cancellara attacked. He rode solo to the finish and won his second Tour of Flanders title.
After the Tour of Flanders, Cancellara raced the Paris–Roubaix. He was attacked by other riders but fought back. With about 16 km to go, Cancellara made a move. He then outsprinted Sep Vanmarcke at the finish line to win his third Paris–Roubaix. He later won the Swiss Road Championships time trial for the eighth time. At the UCI Road World Championships, he won a bronze medal in the time trial.
Third Tour of Flanders Victory (2014)
Fabian Cancellara started 2014 by racing in the Dubai Tour and the Tour of Qatar. He finished second at Milan–San Remo in a sprint finish. He also raced the E3 Harelbeke and Gent–Wevelgem.
A week later, Cancellara raced the Tour of Flanders. He attacked on the Oude Kwaremont climb. He then outsprinted three other riders to win his third Tour of Flanders. Four days later, he raced the Paris–Roubaix. He finished third in a sprint from a small group.
Crashes and Injuries (2015)
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Cancellara started 2015 well with a stage win at the Tour of Oman. He also won the final time trial stage of the Tirreno–Adriatico. At Milan–San Remo, he finished seventh.
However, he crashed badly at E3 Harelbeke. He suffered two small fractures in his back. This injury stopped him from racing the Tour of Flanders. He returned to racing later in the year. At the Tour de France, he wore the yellow jersey for a day. But he was involved in a big crash and had to leave the race due to more back fractures. He also had to leave the Vuelta a España early due to illness. In November 2015, he announced he would retire at the end of the 2016 season.
Final Season (2016)
In his last professional season, Fabian Cancellara started strong. He won the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana in January. Two weeks later, he won a time trial stage at the Volta ao Algarve. In March, he won his third Strade Bianche race. Because of his three wins, a section of the race's gravel roads was named after him. He also won the final stage of Tirreno–Adriatico.
At the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Fabian Cancellara won his third Olympic medal. He won the gold medal in the time trial. This was his second Olympic gold in this event. Fabian Cancellara raced his final professional road race on October 22, 2016.
Personal Life
Fabian Cancellara's parents were from southern Italy, but he grew up in Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland. He married his wife Stefanie in 2006. Later that year, they had their first daughter, Giuliana. Their second daughter, Elina, was born in 2012. The family lives in Bern, Switzerland. Fabian can speak Italian, French, English, and German very well.
Career achievements
