Cancellara yet to decide on Worlds targets

Image 1 of 2

Multiple world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara has yet to decide what exactly he will be targetting at this year's road world championships in Italy – the road race, the trade team time trial or the individual time trial. A final decision will be taken later this month.

The Classics star last won the world time trial championship, which he has taken four times, back in 2010, in Australia. His best road race world championship result was fourth in 2011.

But as Cancellara pointed out to Cyclingnews at the Vuelta a España – where RadioShack Leopard came within a whisker of taking the opening team time trial, then won a stage and claimed the leader's jersey via Chris Horner, followed by a runner-up finish by Cancellara himself on stage 4 – after such a spectacular series of results in the spring, he does not feel under pressure to produce another big win before the season closes. That said, he would have no objection to adding another rainbow jersey to his collection.

"I'm here in the Vuelta and looking ahead to do what I have to do to get ready for the Worlds," the 32-year-old told Cyclingnews.

Asked for his main target, Cancellara said, "The best explanation is that we are looking at all the races, and then we will see. The problem is if I say the time trial, the trade team time trial or the road race, then I get pushed [pressurized] in that. The best thing to say is that there are three races there, and which one I will be specifically keeping an eye on has yet to be decided.

"First I'm doing the Vuelta and while I'm doing the Vuelta we'll see which races are in the plan or not.

"Currently I'm very happy looking after 'Daddy'" – Cancellara's joking reference to 41-year-old teammate Chris Horner – "and doing our race. And for now that's what's important and good, because it keeps my eyes off what is important later in the season. Of course, I'm keeping one eye on the Worlds, but for now this is what matters."

Asked if his condition was where he wanted it to be at this point in the season, Cancellara said, "It's good, but I'd like it to be better. There are other big goals coming up."

He won't, though, be making the Vuelta mid-race time trial at Tarazona a target "because it's seven or eight kilometres uphill and it's not really a battle for me. I have to look at the whole Vuelta, the general work I do here, and that's what brings me forward to a high level.

"I have less pressure after this spring but I still have a lot of ambitions."

Asked if he 're-played' the Classics in his head at all, Cancellara grinned and said, "Once in a while. It's good to do, the way I won them was like a book that was already written. The whole plan and the programme, the whole way it worked out was just amazing."

Cancellara did not want to specify if he will be staying all the way through to Madrid or making a planned abandon, as he has done in at least one other Vuelta, prior to September 15th, saying simply, "we will see."