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Fabian Cancellara throws down the gauntlet to Phil Gaimon - by inviting him for a race

Spartacus does a "Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough"...

In a surprise twist to one of the big cycling stories of the past week or so, Fabian Cancellara has thrown down the gauntlet - or perhaps, mitt - to Phil Gaimon by inviting American ex-pro to try and beat him in a bike race.

In a message posted on Twitter this afternoon the Swiss rider, four time world time trial champion and three times victorious at both the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix, invited Gaimon to join him on one of his Chasing Cancellara events next year.

The sportive rides see participants try to complete the course ahead of Cancellara - 10 managed to do so at the most recent event at Lugano in Switzerland's Italian-speaking Canton Ticino.

Cancellara – who like Gaimon, retired in 2016 – issued the invitation this afternoon following a week in which lawyers acting for him had demanded that the American’s new book, Draft Animals, be withdrawn due to a passage regarding motor doping.

Gaimon, for his part, has said that his comments, widely reported in the specialist cycling media and beyond, were taken out of context.

> Phil Gaimon responds on Fabian Cancellara 'motor doping' row

The venues for next year’s Chasing Cancellara series haven’t been released yet, with registration opening on 12 December.

A shrewd choice of location could serve Gaimon well, however – he is, after all, the reigning US national hill climb champion, and in retirement has become something of a serial bagger of Strava KOMs.

Should he accept the challenge, he may have to lay off the cookies for a while, though.

> Review: Draft Animals - Living the Pro Cycling Dream (Once in a While)

 

 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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20 comments

Avatar
davel | 6 years ago
0 likes

That's a pretty cheap-looking Chasing Cancellara logo.

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Carton | 6 years ago
0 likes

A little offbeat, but fair play to Cancellara for calling off the dogs.

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alansmurphy | 6 years ago
1 like

The oracle, you're my legend BTBS

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BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
2 likes

To all but the hard of thinking (and there's a few dullards here including the first poster to respond) this is a cheap pathetic move by FC. If Gaimon had said, FC is a cheat and I'm a better bike rider then the gauntlet throw down would be acceptable, except this isn't the case at all and FC knows with a certain amount of confidence that he is the stronger/better bike rider.

It's a bit like Usain Bolt laying down a challenge to a guy who once or twice ran a low 10, got through a few rounds at a big event that one time/won a couple of lower grade B races but was mostly a 10.2 guy.

That's not disrespecting Gaimon but that is his level, a decent hill climber who has mainly raced at the lower levels so for FC to offer him out on the road is lame as fuck.

Do I think FC cheated, given what I saw, yes I do, do I have actual  hard evidence, no, but then that's pretty much what PG has said, he's given an opinion based on the rumours/what's being said by loads for years including other competition cyclists.

 

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beezus fufoon | 6 years ago
2 likes

classic wresting promo move - I hope they race in luchador masks!

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Helmut D. Bate | 6 years ago
1 like

No contest here: one of these is an actual top-class racer, and the other one couldn't hack it so has to settle for Strava KOMs.

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fukawitribe replied to Helmut D. Bate | 6 years ago
0 likes
Helmut D. Bate wrote:

No contest here: one of these is an actual top-class racer, and the other one couldn't hack it so has to settle for Strava KOMs.

I happen to like both of them, and Cancellara is a beast, but I wouldn't bet on him up something like Mt. Washington. Horses for wotsits and all that.

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simonb | 6 years ago
1 like

This Gaimon bloke sounds like a right  johhnyhandjob - a 2nd rate bike rider who is after some free publicity for a book that no one will read- I hope Cancellara kicks his arse big time

 

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EddyBerckx replied to simonb | 6 years ago
3 likes
simonb wrote:

This Gaimon bloke sounds like a right  johhnyhandjob - a 2nd rate bike rider who is after some free publicity for a book that no one will read- I hope Cancellara kicks his arse big time

 

You literally have no idea what you're talking about - and neither do the other people who've weighed in with their internet outrage. Phil Gaimon's books are self deprecating, often tongue in cheek and generally pretty funny. It was a throw away comment as he's already said and something that many have said since the races in question, whike probably not really believing it themselves.

It wasnt him.who forced the story on us, someone picked up on a minor detail in a book and blew it massively out of proportion. That's it. Chill.

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don simon fbpe replied to EddyBerckx | 6 years ago
1 like
StoopidUserName wrote:
simonb wrote:

This Gaimon bloke sounds like a right  johhnyhandjob - a 2nd rate bike rider who is after some free publicity for a book that no one will read- I hope Cancellara kicks his arse big time

 

You literally have no idea what you're talking about - and neither do the other people who've weighed in with their internet outrage. Phil Gaimon's books are self deprecating, often tongue in cheek and generally pretty funny. It was a throw away comment as he's already said and something that many have said since the races in question, whike probably not really believing it themselves. It wasnt him.who forced the story on us, someone picked up on a minor detail in a book and blew it massively out of proportion. That's it. Chill.

I literally can't see the actual relationship between a race in actual 2017 to illustrate a point about something from 2010.

 

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Jackson replied to EddyBerckx | 6 years ago
2 likes
StoopidUserName wrote:
simonb wrote:

This Gaimon bloke sounds like a right  johhnyhandjob - a 2nd rate bike rider who is after some free publicity for a book that no one will read- I hope Cancellara kicks his arse big time

 

You literally have no idea what you're talking about - and neither do the other people who've weighed in with their internet outrage. Phil Gaimon's books are self deprecating, often tongue in cheek and generally pretty funny. It was a throw away comment as he's already said and something that many have said since the races in question, whike probably not really believing it themselves. It wasnt him.who forced the story on us, someone picked up on a minor detail in a book and blew it massively out of proportion. That's it. Chill.

Exactly this. If you're upset abput Phil Gaimon having a laugh, go and read Wiggins' book about how he never used any needles. 

 

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julianrh | 6 years ago
1 like

Sounds a bit like Bobby Riggs' challenge to Billie Jean King. Who'll play which role? And remember who won. 

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KoenM | 6 years ago
2 likes

It would be a cool race, but it wont prove anything as Phil never said Fabian raced any other races than the 2010 Paris-Roubaix and Flanders with a motor! It's just the same with the mechanic story, ofcourse he says Fabian didn't use a motor, like he would say it even if he knew! 
Am I sure he did use a motor, no, and I hope trully hope he didn't, however there are some weird things that happend those days!
Changing bikes 3 times a race, without having a flat tire!
Just blasting away from an already very fast group in Roubaix, with the same cadance and not even breaking a sweat, or that's what it looks like at least. https://youtu.be/8Nd13ARuvVE?t=213
Al the other points already have been said so much that i'm not going to repeat them anymore!

So I trully hope he didn't use a motor, but if he did use one it's not really fair for Tom Boonen and Björn Leukemans. Just think about it what would u think if u lost against someone with a motor?! 
But we will probably never know if he did or didn't use a motor, the evidence is already gone!

 

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Leviathan replied to KoenM | 6 years ago
0 likes
KoenM wrote:

It would be a cool race, but it wont prove anything as Phil never said Fabian raced any other races than the 2010 Paris-Roubaix and Flanders with a motor! It's just the same with the mechanic story, ofcourse he says Fabian didn't use a motor, like he would say it even if he knew! 
Am I sure he did use a motor, no, and I hope trully hope he didn't, however there are some weird things that happend those days!
Changing bikes 3 times a race, without having a flat tire!
Just blasting away from an already very fast group in Roubaix, with the same cadance and not even breaking a sweat, or that's what it looks like at least. https://youtu.be/8Nd13ARuvVE?t=213
Al the other points already have been said so much that i'm not going to repeat them anymore!

So I trully hope he didn't use a motor, but if he did use one it's not really fair for Tom Boonen and Björn Leukemans. Just think about it what would u think if u lost against someone with a motor?! 
But we will probably never know if he did or didn't use a motor, the evidence is already gone!

Are you looking at the same video? FC's cadence is clearly higher than the group he breaks from.

All this internet-binary damned if you do/don't stuff is such boring BS. The tweet was a nice tongue in cheek call out. If Gaimon took him up, even better.

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The Rake | 6 years ago
3 likes

Seems a bit counterproductive - if Cancellara beats him Gaimon can just say it is because he was using a motor...

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fenix | 6 years ago
5 likes

Sounds fair to me. It's the other guy acting like a knob here. Not Cancellara.

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Oreos | 6 years ago
4 likes

Bit of a dickhead move by FC if I'm honest, don't understand what a race would prove other than him being able to say, well you didn't race me you're wrong as a 12yr old would.

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Colin Peyresourde replied to Oreos | 6 years ago
3 likes
Oreos wrote:

Bit of a dickhead move by FC if I'm honest, don't understand what a race would prove other than him being able to say, well you didn't race me you're wrong as a 12yr old would.

Allow me to clear things up. This appears to be an olive branch by FC to PG. By offering him hospitality, FC hopes to show he can be the bigger man, that there are no hard feelings, and that he is not or no longer pursuing PG legally, and therefore moving beyond the initial offence he felt in being openly accused of cheating.

I think he is being the bigger man too. I hope that PG accepts and shows he is a big man too.

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Leviathan | 6 years ago
3 likes

Ha, what a twist, Fab is a legend afterall. Bring it on I say, I would watch. His results over many years prove he is a champion. Phil can't strip his brakes off for this one.

Oh and how can an exact quote from his book be 'out of context'? Pathetic cheap comments designed to sell books.

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franta replied to Leviathan | 6 years ago
4 likes
Leviathan wrote:

Oh and how can an exact quote from his book be 'out of context'? Pathetic cheap comments designed to sell books.

I have note read the book or followed the issue but here is how to take an exact quote out of context:

The book says "Many say that Cancellara cheated, that is obviously crap" and here is a direct quote taken out of context "Cancellara cheated".

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