Laureus Ambassador Cancellara back in the saddle as he takes on La Vuelta a Espana
August 25, 2014
Laureus Sport for Good Ambassador Fabian Cancellara, the rider known as Spartacus, was in action in La Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) this weekend, before starting his preparation for the World Championships in Ponferrada, Spain, at the end of September.
Swiss racer Cancellara pulled out of the Tour de France after Stage Ten in July, then said: “The season has been long for me, starting back in Dubai. I have done 59 days of competition this season so far and I have another big goal at the end of this season: the World Championships. It’s not a secret that I’d like to be in my best shape there.”
But first Cancellara confronts La Vuelta a Espana, a tough race which has eight mountain finishes, two individual time trials and a team time trial, not to mention it continues until September 14.
Cancellara, 33, who rides for Trek Factory Racing, has won stages three times in La Vuelta, and he will be aiming particularly at the individual time trials for success this year.
Another rider who withdrew from the Tour de France, Britain’s Chris Froome, will also be hoping for better luck. Team Sky rider Froome, who won the Tour in 2013, crashed out on the fifth stage this year, after falling three times in two days.
It will be the third time in four years Froome has ridden La Vuelta, having finished second in 2011 and fourth in 2012.
Froome told Sky Sports: “This is exactly the sort of challenge that I need after the disappointment of withdrawing from the Tour de France. You can’t dwell on disappointment. You have to move on quickly to the next thing and the Vuelta has become the perfect race for me to focus on. I have always really enjoyed racing at the Vuelta, it’s a tough race but a great opportunity for the whole team.”
