Cancellara becomes world champion: "The best year of my life"

It's been a good year for Fabian Cancellara after he secured victory at the prestigious Paris-Roubaix and announcement he is expecting a baby with his new wife. The Swiss tells Hedwig Kröner how victory in yesterday's Elite Men's TT at the 2006 UCI World Road Championships has put him on cloud nine.

A long-time dream has become reality for Swiss Fabian Cancellara today in Salzburg, as he took the win in the men's time trial. The 25 year-old knew his time was the winning one as he powered along the finishing straight, thousands of hands clapping onto the cardboard barriers, and he clenched his fist as he flew over the line, overwhelmed with emotion. "I felt so strong today, and I knew that my time was good," he said. "I had been focused all day so that was a moment of great relief and happiness."

The countdown to the race against the clock was smooth, even though 'Cance' was loaded with tension and focus. "It was a perfect day for me, everything turned out just as I had imagined it," he continued. "I woke up two times last night, as I was already in the race emotionally. This morning, I trained a little and when I warmed up on the rollers, I felt already that it would be a good day. I can't say much about it, everything just clicked. I never raced this good. And seeing how long I have worked for this... it's just a wonderful feeling."

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