Cancellara back to Classics with eye on pink at Giro d'Italia

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Fabian Cancellara has set his sights firmly on next year's spring Classics, where he hopes to turnaround his disappointing 2012 campaign in which he failed to repeat his 2011 wins at Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. His early season 2013 goals will, as usual, circle around victory at Flanders and Paris-Roubaix before looking to the Giro d'Italia.

The time trialling powerhouse will have a good chance for early Giro success with a team time trial coming on Stage 2 of the Italian grand tour. The maglia rosa, the pink jersey, is a prize which the Swiss rider has yet to obtain.

With no prologue at next year's Tour de France, Cancellara had already suggested he may skip the Grand Boucle in favour of later season goals.

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"First of all, I will ride the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. The Tour... I could skip, especially now there is no prologue," he previously announced.

Cancellara's desire for a repeat win in 2012 at De Ronde was derailed by a terrible fall that occurred approximately 60km from the finish. He suffered a quadruple fracture of his collarbone which required surgery and while he returned to competition less than two months after his operation, he ended his season after the Olympic Games – to have the screws removed from his healed bone.

"Now the team has a new coach, We're on the same page, we want to win. I only regret not having Bennati as a companion, but Devolder and Hondo are two good riders. As a team we are stronger," Cancellara told La Gazzetta dello Sport, reported by Biciclismo.

"I come from a year in which a lot has happened, both positive and negative-stands", said Cancellara. "Firstly, the crash at Flanders, the yellow jersey in the Tour, the birth of my son and finally the fall in London. I'm sure I'll become stronger and I'm doing everything I need to achieve new successes. 2013 will be my year."