Fabian Cancellara overcomes illness to start Tour de Suisse

Trek Factory Racing star posts on Twitter that he will be able to begin his home Tour after suffering from an infection

Fabian Cancellara wins stage two of the 2015 Tour of Oman
(Image credit: Watson)

Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) has confirmed that he will be on the start line for the 2015 Tour de Suisse after his team cast doubt over his appearance when they announced that their star rider was suffering from a throat infection.

Cancellara was unable to take part in the traditional warm-up one-day race to the Tour de Suisse, the GP Kanton Aargau-Gippingen, which was won in a sprint finish by Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) ahead of  Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge) and Davide Appollonio (Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec) on Thursday.

Tour of Aargau-Gippingen

Alexander Kristoff wins at Aargau-Gippingen 2015 (Watson)
(Image credit: Watson)

After a crash at E3 Harelbeke which left him with fractured vertebrae in March, Cancellara was only able to return to racing at last month's Tour de Fjords and absence from his home tour would have put a place on the Tour de France team in serious doubt.

The seven-time monument winner was able to  put any doubt aside on Friday however, as he posted on Twitter that, with the helo of anti-biotics, he had sufficiently recovered in time to race in Switzerland come Saturday.

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The 2015 Tour de Suisse starts with a prologue time trial before eight further stages, ending with another individual time trial to Bern on the final day. Britain's Mark Cavendish (Etixx - Quick-Step) is set to take to the startline as he prepares for the Tour de France, while Nairo Quintana will also be looking to find his form ahead of a GC campaign at the Tour.

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Richard Windsor

Follow on Twitter: @richwindy


Richard is digital editor of Cycling Weekly. Joining the team in 2013, Richard became editor of the website in 2014 and coordinates site content and strategy, leading the news team in coverage of the world's biggest races and working with the tech editor to deliver comprehensive buying guides, reviews, and the latest product news.


An occasional racer, Richard spends most of his time preparing for long-distance touring rides these days, or getting out to the Surrey Hills on the weekend on his Specialized Tarmac SL6 (with an obligatory pub stop of course).