Fabian Cancellara leads Sep Vanmarcke on the Oude Kwaremont(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabain Cancellara at the front of the peloton during Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Sep Vanmarcke and Fabian Cancellara congratulate each other(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Trek Factory Racing's Fabian Cancellara has said that his lone WorldTour win in 2014 at the Tour of Flanders is not enough to keep him satisfied. In an interview released this week by his team, the 33-year-old Swiss champion says he has closed the book on 2014 and is already looking ahead to next season.
"The highlight was Flanders, of course, and also my pretty strong 10-day ride in the Tour de France was also memorable," Cancellara said. "There were ups and downs, and I was not so consistent, maybe. You can say that 2011-2014 is maybe one big book. Twenty-fourteen had a lot of the previous years in it, in a way. It's hard to explain.
"Flanders is not enough. I am not satisfied."
Cancellara will begin his preparation for next season as he has done in years past, with a start in the Middle East before racing in Italy and Belgium leading into the Classics. He said at the end of the team's first training camp that he was feeling well and healthy.
"Nothing is off, everything is on schedule," he said. "We had perfect weather for camp, with no rain. It made for an easy time even there was lots to do. We had a ton of meetings, but they were all good talks. The training was about building up the foundation and building base."
The three-time winner of both Paris-Roubaix and Flanders will have added firepower on his team for the Classics with the recent signing of Gert Steegmans, a move that Cancellara says makes him happy.
"He is a strong guy and now the Classics team is stronger," Cancellara said. "For sure, he raises the level. It will challenge the Classics' group and also helps the sprinters. I'm happy. It was a nice Christmas present."
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Cancellara also spoke about his 14.5-year career and about how, for him, spending so much time away from family and friends has become the toughest part of being a pro cyclist.
"That's becoming harder and harder as you get older," he said. "A young rider is more egoist; they can handle the lifestyle of being on the road so much. Also, you have to remember there's a next life as well, and it's longer than your pro-rider life. When you're older you think about that."
Cancellara has said previously that he will end his racing career sometime after the 2016 season, and in this most recent interview he admitted he is not scared by the thought of retirement.
"I just want to enjoy every moment," he said. "What I won, I have, and nobody can take that away. I don't feel any pressure."
