Cancellara aiming for potential winning Tour swansong

Fabian Cancellara admitted Thursday that this could be his last Tour de France and he aims to go out with a bang.

The Swiss time-trial and cobbled classics specialist has won eight Tour stages over the last decade, and seven of those were in races against the clock.

With Saturday's opening stage of the 2015 edition a 13.8km time-trial in Utrecht, the 34-year-old Cancellara is hoping for one last stage victory before potentially heading off into retirement.

"I'm confident and looking forward to it. I had a tough time before the Tour de Suisse and during the Tour de Suisse but I'm looking forward to this," he said.

"Also I'm used to dealing with pressure and ambitions. There will be a few riders I'll have to look into but in the end it's you and your bike. You have to give maximum effort in those 13km."

Spartacus, as Cancellara is known, is a time-trial great, winning Olympic gold in 2008 and being crowned world champion four times.

He has also won the opening stage time-trial, or prologue, at the Tour de France five times.

And he admitted he's not sure he'll be coming back to try again.

"Nothing is decided yet because in cycling you never know how your programme can be changed," said the Trek rider.

"It's my 10th Tour and it might look like it would be the last but for now I'm focussing on now and not looking to next year."

The three-time winner of both Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de Flandres added: "I thought about this could be my last participation and last possibility to arrive in Paris, yes this is in my mind.

"I have my goals and my ambitions but first I will try also to enjoy the race and all the experience I have to put it into the race because it is a special one, a tough one. I will do what I can."
Source: AFP