Swiss specialist Fabian Cancellara won the 2009 world time trial championship with what must rank as one of the greatest-ever performances against the clock, taking almost one and a half minutes out of second-placed Gustav Larsson and catching podium hopeful Bradley Wiggins for a minute even before his chain came off.

This wasn’t the first time the reigning Olympic time trial champion has stunned the cycling world with his power and bike handling ability; he came to the attention of the wider public with a superb winning ride in the 2004 Tour de France prologue, beating Lance Armstrong by two seconds.

Almost exactly three years ago I was lucky enough to get a chance to interview ‘Spartacus’ for ProCycling magazine while he was testing equipment for Paris-Roubaix on the Wallers-Arenberg section of pave. I asked him what it felt like to beat the Texan, who was looking for a flying start to his campaign for a sixth successive Tour win. He simply replied that it was great to have beaten Lance when he was still at the top of his career and going for the win.

Today, Cancellara is arguably the most popular rider in the pro peloton thanks to his attacking style, engaging persona and, as this YouTube video shows, his awesome talent. Check out the time gaps at halfway…