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Video: Fabian Cancellara's final Paris-Roubaix ends with velodrome fallFabian Cancellara Roubaix velodrome chute (source Twitter).JPG

Video: Fabian Cancellara's final Paris-Roubaix ends with velodrome fall

Three-time winner has fourth chute of the day ... after the finish line
by Simon_MacMichael
Sun, Apr 10, 2016 18:09
5

Fabian Cancellara had hoped that his final Paris-Roubaix would end with a record-equalling fourth victory - but instead, it finished with the Trek-Segafredo rider taking a tumble as he cycled round the velodrome that hosts the finish of the toughest one-day race on the calendar.

Footage posted to Twitter showed the 35-year-old riding one-handed around the banking, holding the Swiss flag aloft - then suddenly losing control, perhaps due to a gust of wind, and landing ignominiously in a puddle.

Afterwards, he said: "Even crashing on the velodrome in front of my fans I don't care, because one crash more or less changes nothing for my career. I am just happy in another way, but not happy about the race. Just happy it is done."

The Swiss rider's hopes of following up his successes of 2006, 2010 and 2013 were ended after he crashed some 55 kilometres from the finish as he tried to help chase down the lead group including eventual winner Mat Hayman of Orica-GreenEdge.

The sector of pave where Cancellara, who had crashewd twice earlier on,  came down - Mons-en-Pévèle - had been identified by him as potentially decisive today; it was for him, but not in the way he would have wished.

 

Fabian Cancellara
Paris-Roubaix 2016
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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5 comments

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Ginsterdrz | 8 years ago
0 likes

11/10 for comedic effort.

Never work with animals, children and......err flags!

Avatar
balmybaldwin | 8 years ago
2 likes

He was also getting quite a tug from that flag.

 

It was a shame seeing him go down, to anyone who's ever caught a wheel on a rut or tram line or curb they'll know exactly how it felt. blink and your wheels aren't underneath you.

 

I would have liked to have seen Spartacus get this one

Avatar
Paul J | 8 years ago
0 likes

Looked like he lost traction on a painted sponsor logo, as he was going slowly.

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Leviathan replied to Paul J | 8 years ago
0 likes
Paul J wrote:

Looked like he lost traction on a painted sponsor logo, as he was going slowly.

Must have been some Gif Lemon.

Avatar
jasecd | 8 years ago
3 likes

I think he had terrible luck today but this is the race where luck plays a bigger factor than others.

The fact that he has won it three times is the measure of this rider. Future editions will miss his participation.  

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