Cancellara calm amid rumours
Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara has played down speculation that he is set to leave Danish manager Bjarne Riis' Saxo Bank team.
Cancellara has one year left on his contract with Saxo Bank, but transfer rumours have linked him to several other teams. It has also been reported that Riis is demanding three million euros as an extraordinary buy-out fee for the classics specialist.
Speaking to Cyclingnews ahead of the seventh stage of the Vuelta a Espana, Cancellara seemed unfazed by the discussions surrounding his future.
"I don't know where that came from," he said about the reported fee. "I've seen some stuff on the internet but I don't know if these are really quotes from Bjarne Riis. When I post something on my official website, you can be sure this is what I want people to know, but I haven't seen anything like that from Bjarne yet. Anyway, Bjarne is going to visit us at the Vuelta sometimes and we'll speak about it. For now, the less I talk about it, the better."
That time of the season
The Vuelta is the last Grand Tour of the season, and it's usually during the Spanish event that teams begin to announce their new signings for the next season. This week, Italian team Liquigas-Doimo announced four new signings, while teams Sky, BMC and the Schleck brothers' new Luxembourgian outfit are in the process of adding to their rosters.
With his 10 Grand Tour stage wins, the latest of which came during this year's Tour de France, Cancellara is sought after by many teams, though he could still opt to honour his contract with Saxo Bank, where he has raced since 2006.
Focusing on worlds
After Friday's seventh stage, Cancellara is in 177th place in the Vuelta's general classification. The 29-year-old said he is saving his energy for the world championships in Australia later this month, a competition he will only appear in if he is fully fit.
"Normally I'm here to prepare for the world championships but if I don't have the right condition, I might re-consider my participation to the Worlds because I can only lose."
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