World-time trial champion Fabian Cancellara wearing the rainbow jersey. UCI World Champions 2010, Geelong, Australia – By Tim Moreillon –

Top 10 Facts about Fabian Cancellara

Fabian Cancellara was born on 18th March 1981 and is nicknamed “Spartacus”. He is a Swiss businessman, cycling executive, and former competitive road racer who last rode for UCI ProTeam Trek-Segafredo.

He was born in Switzerland’s Wohlen Bei Bern. Cancellara got into road cycling at the age of thirteen after falling in love with an old bike. After that, he started to take his sport more seriously.

He went on to win the 1998 and 1999 World Junior Time Trial Championships. He became a professional at the age of nineteen and joined the Mapei-Quick-Step team. Cancellara has ridden for four different professional teams since he turned professional in 2000.

He has achieved great success in the classic monuments. Fabian has won Paris-Roubaix three times, the Milan-San Remo once, and the Tour of Flanders three times. Now let’s look at some facts about Fabian Cancellara.

1. Fabian Discovered Cycling After Falling in Love with An Old Family Bike

On March 18, 1981, in Wohlen Bei Bern, Switzerland, Fabian Cancellara was born. He was born to a Swiss mother and an Italian Swiss father. At the age of 13, he began cycling after falling in love with an old family bike.

He had found the bike in the garage. He immediately gave up football to concentrate on cycling. Cancellara showed promise as a young cyclist when he excelled in time trials and dominated Swiss junior cycling.

At the age of 19, he finished second at the U-23 World Time Trial Championship. He won the junior World Time Trial Championship in both 1998 and 1999. Cross-country skiing was Fabian’s first sport, and after that, cycling became his main pursuit.

2. Married His Wife Stefanie in 2006

Fabian Cancellara at the press conferenc – By Fabiano18 –

He married his wife Stefanie in 2006. Later that year, he became a father when Stefanie gave birth to a baby girl. They named the baby Giuliana. Elina, their second child, was born on July 13, 2012.

The family now resides in Berne, Switzerland. Cancellara speaks Italian, French, English, and German fluently.

3. Cancellara Rode as A Stagiaire for The Mapei-Quick-Step Team in Late 2000

After his second-place finish at the Under-23-time trial championship, Cancellara turned professional with Mapei-Quick-Step. The Mapei-Quick-Step was one of the strongest teams in the world at that time.

Cancellara rode as a stagiaire for the Mapei-Quick-Step team in late 2000. He later joined for the 2001 season as a member of the “Young Riders Project”. Cancellara’s first triumph as a pro occurred at the Tour of Rhodes prologue.

He also took first place in the overall final general classification. Per UCI rules, the Mapei team was divided into two formations for 2002. The two formations included the “Top Team” with 25 riders and the GS-III “Gruppo Giovani” to develop young talents, which Cancellara joined. Cancellara won several individual time trials and a total of eleven victories while riding for Mapei. He spent two seasons there.

4. He Has Ridden for Four Professional Teams Since Turning Professional In 2000

Yellow Jersey Cancellara 2015 – Le Coq Sportif –

In 2000, Cancellara turned professional with Mapei-Quick-Step following his second-place finish at the Under-23-time trial championship. The Mapei-Quick-Step folded at the end of the 2002 season.

In 2003, Cancellara joined Fassa Bortolo to assist Alessandro Petacchi as a lead-out man. After the 2005 cycling season, Fassa Bortolo, Cancellara’s team, split up.

Cancellara signed a three-year contract with Team CSC during the 2005 Tour de France. In 2011 Fabian Cancellara joined Leopard Trek.

This team lacked the elite domestiques Cancellara had in the past. It meant that Cancellara would have a hard time winning.

5. In the 2008 Olympics Fabian Won a Gold Medal in the ‘Men’s Time Trial’

In the men’s time trial (individual) event at the 2008 Olympics, Fabian took home a gold medal. He also placed second in the men’s road race (individual) event. At the “Credit Suisse Sports Awards” ceremony, Cancellara received the “Swiss Male Athlete of the Year” honor.

6. Davide Cassani Claimed That Fabian Cancellara Had Used a Motorized Bike During His Victories

David Caccani TOUR DE FRANCE 1993 – By Eric HOUDAS –

In a YouTube video from 2010, retired cyclist Davide Cassani asserted that Fabian Cancellara had utilized a powered bike. He claimed that Fabian used the powered bike to win the Tour of Flanders and the Paris-Roubaix that year.

In the video, Cassani demonstrated a standard road bike on a stand with the pedals rotating when he clicked a button. Cassani claimed that a motor could easily be stowed in the seat tube of the bike.

He added that the button to turn it on would be located on the handlebars. The Gruber Assist (new motor) was at the time, according to critics of the motor theory, way too loud.

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced that it will examine if a new bicycle inspection system was necessary to catch such cheating. The UCI stated that there was no case against Cancellara after the claims gained prominence.

7. Fabian Cancellara Had an Injury-Ridden Season In 2012

Cancellara displayed strong form in the opening races of the 2012 season. He was in excellent shape for the Belgian spring classics, but a fall and a mechanical issue ended his form.

The setbacks prevented him from participating in the E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem finals. Cancellara was one of the favorites to win the renewed Tour of Flanders.

He however played no part in the final due to a crash in the feed zone. It was caused by a discarded water bottle. He broke his right collarbone in four places, ruining his spring campaign.

8. A Sector of The Strade Bianche Gravel Roads Was Named in His Honor

Paving stone for Fabian Cancellara on Avenue Charles Crupelandt in Roubaix – By Nicola –

He won the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana in late January to kick off his final season as a professional. His third early-season victory came at the Strade Bianche in early March.

This was his third victory in the Tuscan race. This earned him a sector of the race’s gravel roads to be named in his honor.

9. In 2016, Cancellara Had His Final Professional Win

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellara along the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – By U.S. Department of State –

Cancellara finished 47 seconds ahead of his nearest challenger to win the gold medal in the Olympic Road time trial in Rio de Janeiro. This was his 75th and last career triumph.

10. Fabian Cancellara Is One of The Ambassadors Of ‘Laureus Foundation’

One of the ambassadors for the Swiss “Laureus Foundation” is Fabian. This foundation consists of the “Laureus World Sports Academy,” the “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation,” and the “Laureus World Sports Awards”. The organizations work together to aid underprivileged children by bringing the power of sport to bear on their education and coaching needs.

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