Cancellara Wins Tour of Switzerland Prologue
Saxo Bank | June 13, 2009
courtsey Team Saxo Bank
Riding a stealthy S-Works TT bike, Team Saxo Bank's great time trial specialist, Fabian Cancellara, showed superb form today by winning the 7.8km prologue in Tour of Switzerland and actually pulverized the times of his closest competitors by greater than 19 seconds.
Today the nucleus of Team Saxo Bank's squad for the Tour de France began their the last refinement of shape before the Tour de France with the prologue from Mauren to Ruggell in the Principality of Liechtenstein in Tour of Switzerland. The stage race will conclude with a 39 kilometer long solo journey in the streets of Bern. Including the final time trial, the riders will cover 1,355 kilometers divided into eight stages plus today's prologue.
Team Saxo Bank is in the race with Fabian Cancellara, Frank Schleck, Andy Schleck, Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Matti Breschel, Stuart O'Grady, Gustav Larsson and Chris Anker Sørensen.
"I am immensely happy about the victory coming after a period where I have been working really hard. Today I made the result which I have striven for in a long time. It is obviously a race that means a lot to me personally while it ranks high in the international hierarchy. It is perfect to start with a victory, and I think that I and indeed the team are in for several big results in this race,” declares a delighted Fabian Cancellara.
And team owner, Bjarne Riis, was eager to praise his Swiss rider. "I'm close to saying that I have never seen anything like this. Fabian did a perfect prologue in all aspects. He showed that he is truly a unique rider and when he is in shape he is impossible to beat. At the same time it also underlines that the form is exactly where it must be to be ready for the next important tasks, "said Bjarne Riis after the fantastic achievement.
