Fans, friends and former rivals bid adieu to Cancellara with farewell event in Gent
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Sven Nys and Fabian Cancellara on stage at the 'Ciao Fabian' event(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara's salutes fans during his farewell celebration(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara on stage at the 'Ciao Fabian' event(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara on stage at the 'Ciao Fabian' event(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bradley Wiggins on the track at the 'Ciao Fabian' event(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sep Vanmarcke on the track at the 'Ciao Fabian' event(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara on the track at the 'Ciao Fabian' event(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara on the track at the 'Ciao Fabian' event(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara and Dirk Demol address the crowd during Cancellara's farewell celebration(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Frank Schleck on the track during the 'Ciao Fabian' event in Gent(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The crowd shows its appreciation at the 'Ciao Fabian' event in Gent(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara on stage at the 'Ciao Fabian' event in Gent(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara on stage at the 'Ciao Fabian' event in Gent(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara at the 'Ciao Fabian' event in Gent(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara at the 'Ciao Fabian' event in Gent(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara at the 'Ciao Fabian' event in Gent(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Iljo Keisse (Etixx-QuickStep)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sep Vanmarcke and Ed Theuns say goodbye to Fabian Cancellara(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bradley Wiggins addresses the crowd at the Ciao Fabian event(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara and Bradley Wiggins(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Frank Schleck on the track in Gent during the 2km farewell race for Fabian Cancellara(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bradley Wiggins on the track in Gent during the 2km farewell race for Fabian Cancellara(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bradley Wiggins on the track in Gent during the 2km farewell race for Fabian Cancellara(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bradley Wiggins waits his turn for the farewell race for Fabian Cancellara(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara on the boards at the Kuipke Track Velodrome(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara on the boards at the Kuipke Track Velodrome(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Markel Irizar in action in Gent during the farewell celebration for Fabian Cancellara(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara on the boards at the Kuipke Track Velodrome(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara on the boards at the Kuipke Track Velodrome(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara gets ready to start his 2km pursuit at the Kuipke Track Velodrome(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara gets ready to start his 2km pursuit at the Kuipke Track Velodrome(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Markel Irizar gets ready to start his 2km pursuit at the Kuipke Track Velodrome(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara on the big screen at the Kuipke Track Velodrome(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Filippo Pozzato on the Kuipke Track Velodrome for Fabian Cancellara's farewell celebration(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Iljo Keisse on the Kuipke Track Velodrome for Fabian Cancellara's farewell celebration(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Filippo Pozzato on the Kuipke Track Velodrome for Fabian Cancellara's farewell celebration(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bradley Wiggins on the track in Gent during the 2km farewell race for Fabian Cancellara(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
More than 6,000 fans turned out Saturday at the Kuipke velodrome in Gent, Belgium, to salute the career of Fabian Cancellara as the four-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist brings and end to his storied career.
Cancellara officially retired as a professional race last month at the Japan Cup criterium, but the 35-year-old Swiss rider took his final victory in August during the individual time trial at the Olympic Games in Rio. The rider known as Spartacus has built a huge following in the Flanders region of Belgium thanks to his Classics palmares, which include three wins each at the Tour of Flanders and E3-Harelbeke, and three wins in Paris-Roubaix, the 'Hell of the North' just across the French border.
Bradley Wiggins, Franck Schleck, Pippo Pozzato and Sep Vanmarcke were among the riders at the event, which also included an exhibition 2km individual pursuit on the same velodrome that will host the Gent Six Day in three days.
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