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Strade Bianche 2014: five observations

Kwiatkowski, the WorldTour's best young riders, Cancellara, Stannard, and heroic racing


Too soon for Spartacus?

Few riders have as much potential to write themselves into the history books in 2014 as Fabian Cancellara. Spartacus has a full diary that includes the defence of his E3 Harelbeke, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix titles, and an attempt at the world hour record. Two more Monument victories and a record-breaking performance in the velodrome will place his name alongside cycling’s immortals.

Fabian Cancellara crossed the line in sixth place. Spartacus may be saving his best form for the defence of his titles in the cobbled Classics. pic: ©Sirotti

With so much at stake later in the season, Cancellara’s somewhat subdued performance at the Strade Bianche is understandable. Twice a winner in Tuscany, there’s little doubt that the Swiss star knows what it takes to win on the white roads and on the brutal ascent into Siena, but when the chips went down in this eighth edition, he had no answer for his young rivals.

Cancellara’s publicly-stated distaste for Sagan’s antics has added spice to their confrontations, and his drubbings of a rider he clearly regards as a young upstart at last year’s E3 Harelbeke and the Tour of Flanders showed the that the more experienced rider was not yet ready to cede ground to a rider widely regarded as the sport’s future. In Tuscany, however, he could only watch when Sagan tore along the outside of the leading group, having launched a typically audacious attack from the back of the group.

His afternoon did not improve. When Alejandro Valverde attacked eight kilometres from home, he found no support from Cancellara or others in the pursuing group, Roman Krueziger (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Merida). Cancellara was the last of the group to finish, crossing the line in sixth place, nearly a minute behind Kwiatkowski and almost 20 seconds behind Krueziger.

Last season belonged in large part to two riders. While Team Sky’s Chris Froome dominated stage racing, Cancellara owned the cobbled Classics. This year could bring still greater achievement for the Swiss rider, particularly if Classics victories come at the expense of a resurgent Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep). A new world hour record would be the icing on the cake. While there was only the faintest hint of form in Tuscany, it is far too early to write off Cancellara’s hopes of his greatest ever season.

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