Cancellara to abandon Vuelta after Stage 16

Cancellara
(CC2.0)

LeopardTrek's Fabian Cancellara, known as the finest time trial rider in the world at his peak, has announced on Twitter that he plans to abandon the Vuelta a Espana following today's Stage 16 so that he can prepare for the upcoming World Championships.

The Swiss rider, nicknamed Spartacus, Tweeted at 10:45(BST):

"Finally a flat stage..........!!! i will leave the vuelta today and will get rest and then prepear the worlds."

Cancellara caused controversy when he left the race in 2010, stating that he needed to spend time with his family - already on bad terms with Saxobank, this move was a large factor in his decision to leave for LeopardTrek at the end of that season. At the Worlds, the TT winner of 2006, '07, '09 and '10 faces his biggest challenge yet - beating the young pretender Tony Martin, HTC-Highroad's TT superstar nicknamed Der Panzerwagen in recognition of the powerful riding style that has now seen him beat the old master on several occasions, most notably in the individual trials at this year's Vuelta and Tour de France.