Both Cancellara and Heinrich Haussler opted for training camps in friendlier climes
Heinrich Haussler wasn't the only Spring Classics favorite to pass on the opening weekend festivities in Belgium. Last year's Flanders/Roubaix Double winner, Fabian Cancellara, was also a notable absentee from the horrendous conditions on Saturday and the bunch sprint on Sunday.
The Swiss hardman opted to lay low and continue his classics preparation in piece far south on Gran Canaria.
Leopard Trek team director, Brian Nygaard, spoke to Sporten.dk about the decision to keep Cancellara out of the Belgian openers.
"Form-wise, Fabian is further along than last year at this time, but he does not have good experiences with starting too early in Belgium, therefore, he opted out of this weekend."
Mention of a Cancellara going even better than the year before should be unsettling news for anyone hoping to beat the rider who absolutely dominated the cobbles in 2010. Even a Cancellara in the same place as last year would be one to be nervous about. Nygaard's brief note about Cancellara's progress is interesting and certainly confirms what was apparent in the Middle East - a steadily progressing, confident rider with eyes on the Double.
Looking back at the weekend, it almost seems a wise choice by the likes of Cancellara and Haussler to hold off their Belgian debuts. The conditions were terrible on Saturday, dry and good on Sunday, but Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne is not known as a true test for the contender eyeing glory on the first Sunday in April for the Ronde van Vlaanderen. If anything, the contenders that DID participate, have found themselves the object of many questions and criticisms. The likes of Tom Boonen and Philippe Gilbert had some hard questions to answer following their quiet performances.
With the season that begins ever earlier and thus sees increasingly fitter riders in January and February, the Belgian opener is nowhere near the training event it used to be. It's a full-on Classic a month before the Monuments. When a rider like Philippe Gilbert is worried about holding onto his form from Milano-Sanremo on the 19th of March to Liege-Bastogne-Liege on April 24th, you can bet he has no interest in achieving top fitness a moment before absolutely necessary.
Nygaard hints at the topic when he mentions the struggles the favorites had to endure just to stay a part of the group on Saturday.
"It was quite remarkable how much Tom Boonen, Thor Hushovd, and Philippe Gilbert had to give just to keep up in Het Nieuwsblad. Apparently, none of the major riders wanted to go that deep so early in the season, as was required."
Indeed, the superstars, with eyes only for the Monuments, were left hurting, as they attempted to jump start their seasons in hopes of getting that extra little bit when the decisive weekends arrive.
It will be interesting to see if any discernible difference of fortune is noticeable throughout the spring between riders who passed on Belgium this weekend (Cancellara and Haussler), and those that raced (Boonen, Gilbert, Hushovd, etc). Likely not, but it's worth a second thought.