Fabian Cancellara destroys Philippe Gilbert’s hopes of victory at the Strade Bianche 2012
Fabian Cancellara shattered the hopes of Philippe Gilbert after he claimed the top podium spot during the Strade Bianche.
The Swiss professional cyclist was impressive and showed tremendous legs to secure an easy victory during the 190 kilometre pursuit to Siena.
He took a total time of 4 hours, 44 minutes and 59 seconds to grab the top podium spot. He overcame Maxim Iglinsky with a healthy lead of 42 seconds.
Oscar Gatto, Alessandro Ballan and Greg Van Avermaet achieved the third, fourth and fifth position in the respective order.
The 2011 winner of the race, Philippe Gilbert of BMC Racing Team was optimistic to defend his title but he totally collapsed and finished at the 48th position.
The Belgian had a terrific season last year but is, so far, struggling presently. He achieved the top overall position at the UCI World Tour Elite Men category with a total number of 698 points.
Cancellara took the full advantage of Gilbert’s struggling form and filled his pockets with the first win of the 2012 season.
He noted, “Before Bennati made his attack, we were on the climb and I looked to see how the other riders were. I was tired, it was a hard, intense, fast race”.
He also indicated that nobody followed Danielle Bennati after he launched the attack, which was an indication of a tired peloton.
He stated, “When Van Avermaet went I knew there were more dirt roads, I know how to ride them and so I rode at my tempo and then give it everything before Siena”.
"I know it’s difficult to make it to Siena alone because are a lot of little climbs but I kept going," he concluded.
Fabian represented Team Leopard Trek for the year 2011 and was picked up by Team RadioShack-Nissan for the current season.
He has also represented Team Fassa Bortolo (2003-2005) before starting his professional career with Team Mapei-Quick Step in 2001.
Cancellara not only grabbed his first victory of the season but also helped the Luxembourg team with a terrific start to its 2012 crusade.
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