Fabian Cancellara on his supposed mechanical doping at 2010 Tour of Flanders: "The results have shown who I am and who I was as a rider"
Cycling
One of the most decorated Classics riders Fabian Cancellara may have retired quite a few years ago, but he still finds thrill in professional cycling in his managment role at Swiss formation Tudor Pro Cycling. And so it happens that he'll be back at the scene of some of his biggest triumphs this Sunday - Tour of Flanders.
Cancellara hung up his bike after Olympic timetrial title in Rio 2016 back when he was still at the top of his game. That same year he won Strade Bianche and finished 2nd at Flanders - the race that became so close to him. Did he not miss the thrill of racing? "I closed that chapter with my gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio. It was the right moment and it felt right," he tells Vive le Vélo ahead Tour of Flanders.
Back in 2010 Cancellara finally made the ends meet at Tour of Flanders, taking first of his three victories at the Flemish Monument. At the time there were speculations of mechanical doping by the Swissman, especially from hurt Belgian fans who would've preferred to see home-crowd favorite Tom Boonen triumph instead. Those rumours clearly don't give Cancellara wrinkles anymore.
"Am I not tired of those rumours? I mainly feel bad for all those people who make up such stories. Today I can laugh about it. I don't have to stoop so low. I don't have to prove anything anymore. The results have shown who I am and who I was as a rider. Ciao, meow!", he laughs.
The Swiss's record is certainly impressive. If he could trade all his victories for one that's missing in his palmares, which would it be? "That's a luxury problem," says Cancellara, referring to a gap in his list of achievements. "It's almost impossible to say which victory I would give away in exchange for the world title. Or for a 4th victory in Flanders or Roubaix. No, I'm satisfied."
What makes the Tour of Flanders so unique for him? "It starts with the country, the region, the people. You have the cobblestones, the chip shops, the beer, ... The Tour is a race that has so many things at the same time. Especially now that the start is not in Antwerp, but in Bruges. It is like being in a stadium. You see the teams going from the buses to the Grote Markt. Those are intense feelings of pride and happiness."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
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