In case you didn’t hear, Swiss time trial national champion Fabian Cancellara had an incredible week this week, first winning the Tour of Flanders, then a week later, last Sunday, winning the prestigious Paris-Roubaix, both in incredible fashion. Cancellara didn’t just win, he dominated. We put together a group of videos from around the web of his awe inspiring week of racing, showing how Sparticus earned his nickname, from Flanders to Roubaix.
We start with the classic Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders), shown above. The cycling community held its breath as Tom Boonen (Quick-Step), who many hail as the best classics rider in the peloton today, battled Cancellara head to head for the win. They had fought the peloton off all day, and what may have been the showdown of the year emerged on the front of the race. They enter the cobbles at about 1:30 into the video, and Cancellara makes his stunning attack at 2:30. See the rest of the videos after the jump…
After successfully shaking Boonen, Cancellara pulls out his world-champion time trial legs to stay away for the rest of the Tour of Flanders. Here is the video of the final 4 km. Watch Cancellara’s speed and cadence. After a successful but tough attack, Sparticus still displays superhuman strength.
A week later, the infamous Paris-Roubaix race got underway, known for its massive and treacherous cobbled sections, making Paris-Roubaix one of the toughest one day races in the world. A group of some 25 riders formed off the front with 57 km to race, after a series of unsuccessful attacks and counter-attacks. The video picks up as three riders; Leif Hoste (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Sebastian Hinault (Ag2r La Mondiale), and Bjorn Leukemans (Vacansoleil), are off the front. Cancellara and the rest of the group mounts somewhat of a chase, but Cancellara launches his chase and winning attack about 2:00 into the video.
And that was that. Cancellara was gone and on his way to becoming only the 10th person in history to complete the Flanders-Roubaix double. With plenty of time to celebrate, Cancellara almost can’t believe it as he finishes on the Roubaix velodrome, the traditional finish to Paris-Roubaix.
It was a truly incredible week for a truly incredible athlete. Spartacus lived up to his nickname, proving that he is one of the greatest cyclists of his time.
Related: Cancellara Dominates At Paris-Roubaix
Related: Cancellara Stuns Boonen on the Muur to take Tour of Flanders
