Cancellara aiming for Ronde van Vlaanderen

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Fabian Cancellara has this year's Ronde van Vlaanderen firmly in his sights, but refuses to say the same thing for the World Championships in Australia. The Saxo Bank rider is determined to win the Belgian race at his eighth attempt, but doesn't yet know if he will ride the World time trial in Melbourne.

“Of the five monuments, it is maybe the most difficult to win,” he told the Swiss newspaper Der Bund. “But it is missing from my palmares.”

Cancellara has ridden the Tour of Flanders every year since 2003, with his highest placing being sixth in 2006. He has had more luck with the World time trial championships, which he has won three times, in 2006, 2007 and 2009. But he is not sure whether he will even ride the race this year. “Would a fourth title bring me anything? I don't want to sound arrogant, but it is boring to keep on winning the same race. The title race on the road is more attractive.”

The Swiss rider's future is equally uncertain. Saxo Bank has announced it will stop sponsoring the Danish team the end of this season. Cancellara has a contract with team owner Bjarne Riis through 2011, but has been mentioned in connection with a possible new team to be formed by brothers Andy and Fränk Schleck, who are good friends of his.

“I don't know anything,” he said. “A lot of people are talking about how they would like to set up their own team. But when it comes to finances, they quiet down. If I had the money, I would help set up my own team. But to realise such a project, I would need about 15 million Euro a year.”