Cancellara to decide Tuesday on worlds participation

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Fabian Cancellara has to make some important decisions about his short and long-term future in the next few days but says he needs some time to recharge his batteries first. The reigning world time trial champion has to decide if he participate in this year's world championships in Australia and also needs to finalise which team he will ride for in 2011.

“If I want to fly to the world championships in Australia this coming Wednesday, I must clear my head for a few days first, regenerate my body, and load the batteries again,” he wrote on his personal website. “On Tuesday I will likely go for a long training ride and then definitely decide whether I get on the air plane on Wednesday. At the end of a long season, I am just going day by day.”

The Swiss rider did not go into detail as to why he exited the Vuelta on Friday without telling his team but said: “It was three hard weeks, in which I put myself fully at the service of the team. But the Vuelta was good for my form, I feel better now than I did at the start of the race. But I had to think of myself for once, and flew home two days earlier than planned.”

Saxo Bank team owner Bjarne Riis announced late on Saturday afternoon that had agreed to release Cancellara from his contract for 2011, suggesting that he did not have the necessary “willingness and desire to ride on our cycling team.”

Cancellara's name has been linked with the new Luxembourg team that will include the Schleck brothers and many of his closest teammates who also leaving Saxo Bank. However both BMC and Team Sky and also reported to be interested in signing him. It is now up to the Swiss rider to decide his future and plans for the end of season.