Cancellara: My tenth Tour could be the last one

“The Critérium du Dauphiné was pretty hard for me”, Mollema declared in a press conference at the headquarters in Jaarbeurs, Utrecht. “But I’ve worked hard with physiotherapists to fix the problem and my back is ok again. I haven’t had the best preparation at the Dauphiné but a very good training since. I can see some favorites at the start of this Tour and a big group of riders who can aim at the top 5. I’m part of it. It’ll be a hard fight but I’m looking forward to it.”
Mollema banks on the help of Cancellara but also strong men Gregory Rast and Markel Irizar to overcome the cobblestones in stage 4. “I’ve had tough times before the Tour de Suisse but I’ve had good feelings at training recently”, the multiple world and Olympic champion said. “I’m used to deal with pressure and ambition.”
Cancellara, 34, is going to start the Tour de France for the tenth time. On five occasions, he took the yellow jersey after the inaugural stage against the clock, whether it was a prologue or a time trial like this coming Satudary. “It was always out of France”, he noticed as an interesting omen. He did it twice in Liège, Belgium (in 2004 and 2012), London (2007), Monaco (2009) and Rotterdam (2010). Among the active riders, he holds the record of days in the yellow jersey with 28. Only ten former cyclists have done more but they were all GC contenders, Eddy Merckx topping the list with 96.
“In cycling, it’s hard to predict the future but I’ve thought this could be my last Tour and my last opportunity to reach Paris”, said Cancellara who pulled out last year after the first rest day to go and rest at home. Since 2007, he was always racing along with at least one of the Schleck brothers but it won’t be the case this time since Andy retired at the end of last season and Fränk can’t start the Tour due to a knee injury. “I’ve ridden many Tours with them”, the Swiss added. “We’ve shared a lot of experiences and stories but a new chapter starts now with Bauke. I’ll give what I can to support him.