One solid attack on the Oude Kwaremont gave Fabian Cancellara the small gap he needed with 35 km to go in Friday’s E3 Prijs Vlaanderen-Harelbeke in Belgium.

Powering up the climb, Cancellara went into time trial mode to steadily gain time on the way into Harelbeke, taking the solo win by sixty-eight seconds. Chasing riders failed to organize into a unified effort and splintered into groups that were unable to catch the Swiss RadioShack-Leopard rider.

“I did my job; I did what I had to do," said Cancellara. "When you are in good condition you have to go for it because you never know what will happen next. It’s important to carry on and finish the job. With the crash last year this is a very special moment for me.”

“It was intuition to go on the Oude Kwaremont and just see if I could break down the group a little more. We knew the Oude Kwaremont was an important key in the race, as it will be in the Tour of Flanders, as we watched some days ago the finale of E3 of 2011 and 2012 on the computer. Also this is part of the preparation for the race."

Cancellara continued: “You have to take it when you can as you never know what tomorrow brings. After my crash in Flanders last year this was my first race on this special ground. I saw that there were many Omega Pharma-Quick Step riders in the front, so I decided to try something. I went alone and Dirk Demol kept telling me 'keep on going'. It was a so hard but such a unique experience. Many things crossed my mind. This is a great win for me and for the team. Anything that will come now is a bonus."

Cancellara will race again on Sunday in Gent-Wevelgem, followed next week by the Tour of Flanders. Cancellara can now look forward to the coming classics in a more relaxed manner. “Now I can tackle the other races in a more relaxed way. I feel renewed confidence with this win but also renewed pressure as well. In the end it’s a victory and I know I’ve done my job.”