Golden farewell for Swiss cycling legend Fabian Cancellara

Swiss cycling legend Fabian Cancellara won his second Olympic gold medal in the men’s time trial, capping off his career with a golden farewell.

At 35 years of age and with retirement looming at the end of the season, a repeat of his Beijing 2008 triumph looked incredibly unlikely.

However, he produced a masterclass performance, sweeping aside pre-race favourites Tom Dumoulin (in silver) and Chris Froome (in bronze) by 47 seconds and one minute two seconds respectively.

Over the hilly 54.5km circuit, Cancellara was in a league of his own, but it wasn’t all plain sailing. The official results at the second time check at 19.7km had the Swiss cyclist down as fourth fastest behind Rohan Dennis of Australia.

However, he overhauled the deficit and then some, moving into the leading position by the next checkpoint and then extending his advantage from then on. He ultimately finished in a sensational 1.12:15.

Dennis suffered a broken aero bar and changed bikes, finishing fifth. Great Britain’s other rider, Geraint Thomas, posted a solid time to finish ninth, a good result given his last-minute place in the race.

After his win, Cancellara said: “This is pretty special. After the disappointment of 2012 and all the ups and down, I knew this is my last season and the last chance to achieve something.

“There are just no words to explain. Finishing with the gold, is not bad.

“I got the right balance, and got the key to get over this day. Now I am just happy.”

Froome said: “Fabian was clearly the strongest rider on the road, so congrats to him. They were tough conditions. I tried to hold something back for the second lap and just didn’t have the legs to push on.

“It’s been an amazing summer and to come away with a medal is really special. Just to be part of the Olympics is really special. I have no regrets. I gave it everything. I’m really happy.”