Stage victories in Tirreno-Adriatico and the Volta a Catalunya, then, of course, his Paris-Roubaix triumph, the Swiss time trial championship, and last week, two stage wins and the overall in the Tour of Denmark. Now, Fabian Cancellara has his sights on the world championships in Salzburg.
"I believe I'll be chosen as captain for the Swiss team at the world championships," said Cancellara on team-csc.com. "It's a tough course in Salzburg, so I have to train on it a couple of times, but I think it'll suit me well. Of course it all depends on my shape at the time,"
Cancellara wasn't sure about his form a week ago, but his surprise victory in Denmark leaves him with no doubt.
"I wasn't quite sure about my current shape, so I didn't know if I actually had a chance of doing well in the overall standings. I was prepared to work for Stuart O'Grady or Lars Bak, who were in top shape as well. On the other hand, I knew, that if my form was 100 percent, I would be able to win a race like Tour of Denmark," he explained.
The Tour of Denmark was one of the early steps towards his the final season goal at the world's, but before then, the 25 year-old may have the chance to show his skills in the upcoming Vuelta a España. "I believe I'll be on the Vuelta roster," said Cancellara, "but it hasn't been decided yet.
"I had some good training sessions ahead of the Tour of Denmark and I was also able to get some rest in between, so now we'll have to decide, whether me doing the Vuelta would be good for me and the team."
Cancellara admitted he was disappointed to be left off the team's roster for the Tour de France, but is already thinking about the season ahead and being a part of La Grande Boucle in 2007.
"Yes, obviously it was very disappointing, but that's life as a bike rider," he said. "After the team was selected I was in good shape physically, but mentally I was feeling bad. So I took a couple of days without my bike, and then I started focusing on the world championships, cause without a specific goal, you are not able to train 100 percent.
"[Next year], I hope to be in great shape early, so I can do well in Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Later on in the season, I would like to be selected for Tour de France."
