Fabian Cancellara: 'Motor allegations hurt, but I didn't need to prove anything to anyone'
Cancellara says he proved throughout his career that he was capable of winning the world's biggest races
Allegations of using a motorised bike hurt Fabian Cancellara, the former time trial Olympic champion and Classics star, but he says he always proved himself at the highest level.
Cancellara retired in 2016 and is remembered as one of the greats over the cobbles of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Rumours circulated in 2010 that the Swiss used a motor in his bike when he won both in the same season.
>>> Wout van Aert criticises Peter Sagan after Tour of Flanders
"In one way, it felt like a complement, but on the other hand, it felt bad," Cancellara told Belgian television Canvas.
"I don't need to prove anything to nobody. I proved for 10 years that I could ride at that level and the results were the same. Then people say this or that, he had one [a motorised bike], that's not nice. First they lift you up, then they point the finger at you."
Cancellara, who rivalled Tom Boonen every spring, won the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix three times each.
In 2010, video emerged alleging that Cancellara made strange hand movements coinciding with his accelerations. It appeared Boonen was at a stand still while Cancellara flew away on the Kapelmuur or when Cancellara soloed free in Paris-Roubaix.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"I had experiences from '08 after the Olympics. They came up with the whole [EPO] CERA situation with [Stephen] Schumacher. Carlos Sastre won the Tour de France [with Cancellara's team CSC/Saxo Bank], and after I won the Olympics. They said, they are so strong, maybe they do [cheat]. But in the end, there was nothing. We got put in one pot, that's sad," he added.
"Of course, it hurt me when it came out with the whole moto stuff. I was laughing because they said my legs looked like engines, that's a compliment, but if you go into the details, that's not nice."
Cancellara retired after winning the Olympic time trial again in 2016, taking the gold medal ahead of Tom Dumoulin and Chris Froome. The medals added to the four world championship titles he'd already taken in his career.
"I didn't have that many friends. The friends I had were mostly from the outside," Cancellara added.
"With my status and wins it was hard, I'm a concurrent for many. That is why maybe I wasn't liked by them, but I never had problems with any cyclist. I was a bad boy in certain moments, yeah, because I wanted to win races, this is why I was riding my bike.
"I can imagine it's normal [they say I wasn't liked in the peloton], but I'm curious why. Inside, I'm deeply soft. It's not easy for anyone on top. You think for Trump it's easy? Or for Merkel. Or Ronaldo. Or whoever is on top. If you cannot deal with it, you will fail. A lot of people love to see when you fail."
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
Parlee Cycles' Ouray reviewed: a bike that goes zoom but doesn’t fit like a race bike and is made in the USA
The first new model since dealing with bankruptcy, the Ouray is a comfortable, big-tyre road bike from the storied American brand
By Tyler Boucher Published
-
Forget distance covered, these are the key stats to note in your Strava Year in Sport
We asked a coach how to best analyse our end of year Strava data
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Elisa Longo Borghini pips Kasia Niewiadoma on the line to win second Tour of Flanders
In-form Italian praises Lidl-Trek team after repeating feat she achieved in 2015
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'It's one of the hardest races I've ever done' - Mathieu van der Poel on his historic Tour of Flanders victory
World champion becomes seventh man in history to win the race three times
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Mathieu van der Poel wins record-equalling third Tour of Flanders with 45km attack
Dutchman pulls off audacious long-range coup to claim Monument victory
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Wout van Aert’s Classics dreams go up in smoke, but all is not lost for Visma-Lease a Bike
Attention turns to another promising squad member after their talisman is ruled out of Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Amstel-Gold Race with 'several fractures'
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Wout van Aert 'in a good place' ahead of Tour of Flanders despite Visma-Lease a Bike illness and injury crisis
Loss of Christophe Laporte and Dylan van Baarle 'a big blow' says DS Grischa Niermann as team builds for Monument double header
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Five things to look out for ahead of the Tour of Flanders
Lidl-Trek's impressive form and Mathieu van der Poel's explosive start to the Classics season could make for quite the contest this weekend
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Wout van Aert gears towards career-defining fortnight in new, enlightened mindset
Belgian admits pressure has weighed heavily on his shoulders in the past as the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix come around once more
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tour of Flanders, Giro d'Italia, Paris-Roubaix Femmes: Cycling Weekly's races of the year for 2023
Our writers pick their best moments from an enthralling 2023, what do you think?
By Adam Becket Published