Fabian Cancellara was forced to retire during the Tour of Flanders due to a ripped chain. The chain on the Swiss rider's bike was damaged on the Koppenberg, an area approximately 70 kilometres from the finish line that is covered with cobblestones and has a gradient of up to 20%. The Olympic champion shouldered his bike at first and continued on foot with a somewhat sour look on his face.

He then decided to remove the faulty chain and to hang it around his neck before heading off back down the hill. 'It just happened.

Nobody is to blame', said Cancellara. He finally reached the finish line in the masseur's vehicle. Due to an injury and illness during the preparations for the race, Cancellara was not classed as one of the favourites.

However, the man from Berne wanted to complete the race in view of those to come. 'Having to end the Tour of Flanders like this was very disappointing and also annoying', said Cancellara.

Support cars, which would have been able to fix Cancellara's chain, are not allowed on the Koppenberg. Prior to being forced to retire from the race, Cancellara had been satisfied with his performance in light of his lack of training.

'I worked for the team and was able to keep up with the leaders, even though their pace was very fast.' Source: si.