Fabian Cancellara (born 18 March 1981 in Wohlen bei Bern) has put Swiss professional cycle racing back on the map thanks to his outstanding performance at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, winning gold in his specialist discipline, the time trial, as well as silver in the men’s road race. 

Cancellara was 13 years old when he discovered a passion for cycling. Since then, he has shown a single-minded determination and dedication in the pursuit of sporting victory. He was crowned world junior time trial champion for the first time in 1998, retaining the title one year later. In 2001, he turned professional, and success soon followed: winning the Tour of Rhodes prologue as well as coming out top in the final overall standings. In 2002 he became Swiss time trial champion, a feat he would go on to achieve a staggering five years in a row (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008). He was also world champion four times in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010.

Among the cycling fraternity, his athletic and powerfully built frame has earned Cancellara the nickname of “Spartacus”.  His sprinting prowess is legendary, making him particularly dangerous in the finishing stages of a race. This was perfectly illustrated in his phenomenal winning sprint finish in the final stage of the 2008 Tour de Suisse. Cancellara had predicted not only that win but also his Olympic time trial victory. Winning the gold medal has been the crowning glory in his professional cycling career and the culmination of his boyhood dreams.

On the last day of the 2009 Tour de Suisse, Cancellara put on a dazzling performance in Bern, his home town, to win not only the time trial but also the race overall. In June 2009, he achieved another career first when he was crowned Swiss Road Racing Champion. Cancellara’s amazing winning streak looks set to continue. In September 2009, he once again won the World Time Trial Championship in Mendrisio (Ticino). When he took to the winner’s podium, he proudly held three fingers in the air, just to remind anyone who might have forgotten that he was now a three-time world champion!

As he crossed the finishing line in Geelong (Australia) in 2010, Cancellera held four fingers aloft in a victory salute. A perfect ride saw him finish one minute ahead of his nearest rival, catapulting him to his fourth time trial world title and a place in cycling’s history books.

Awards

• 2008: Named Swiss Sportsperson of the Year.