Cancellara confirmed to start in Olympic time trial

The Olympic time trial champion Fabian Cancellara will be able to defend his title on Wednesday despite an injury to his right shoulder, which he sustained last Saturday at the Olympic road race. The Swiss Olympic Committee has confirmed the participation on its website, without mentioning if 'Spartacus' is still in pain from the contusions and hematoma he suffered.

Cancellara indicated he was still hampered by his painful shoulder during a training ride on Sunday, but since then the time trial favourite has not given any updates on his injury. "The pain is there. Will try to go for a little ride on the normal bike. Hope it will work," he wrote on his Twitter page yesterday.

Cancellara fell in the closing kilometres of the road race as he was leading the breakaway through a corner. His rear wheel locked up and the Swiss rider ran straight into the barriers, crashing on his right shoulder which he already fractured earlier this year. Medical examinations on Saturday evening showed that there was nothing broken, but the injury could mean that the reigning time trial champion will not be up to his full capacity in the event scheduled for Wednesday.