Cramps costly for Cancellara at Ponferrada Worlds

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Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

No matter how lofty his palmarès, a Classics rider builds up a healthy tolerance for disappointment in an endeavour where heartbreak will always outweigh happiness. Yet as Fabian Cancellara crossed the line in Ponferrada on Sunday, there was a sense that his low-key showing in the elite men's road race at the World Championships cut deeper than any number of near misses on the Lungomare Italo Calvino or Roubaix velodrome over the years.

Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.