Fabian Cancellara sped past his rivals on the Paris-Roubaix cobblestones to win the 2010 Paris-Roubaix Queen of Classics, just a week after triumphing at the 2010 Tour of Flanders, thereby taking the famous double.

The Olympic and world time trial champion stuck to the same tactics that proved successful in Flanders a week ago, surging ahead about 50 kilometers from the finish line while Tom Boonen was taking a rest at the back of the large breakaway group.

Cervelo TestTeam's Norwegian God of Thunder Thor Hushovd finished second in powerful fashion and Team Sky's Juan Antonio Flecha was the third rider to cross the finish line in the velodrome in Roubaix.

Cancellara had predicted that he would leave the chasing pack far behind once he had chose to part company with the leading bunch and he was not wrong.

When he started to accelerate on the cobbled section shortly before Mons-en-Pevelle, the white cross on his red jersey soon disappeared out of sight for those behind him.

Team QuickStep's Tom Boonen, second in the Tour of Flanders, tried to catch Cancellara out in a previous cobbled stretch of the route but was no match.

Thor Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam) chasing Cancellara. Photo copyright Fotoreporter Sirotti.

Belgium's Boonen, who was bidding for a fourth victory on the Roubaix Velodrome, was also unable to react when Hushovd and Flecha forcefully broke clear with 20 kilometers left.

"In the team meeting we agreed we needed someone in the break," explained Cervelo's Roger Hammond, who admirably finished fourth today, beating Boonen in a sprint to the finish line.

Hammond added "There were four of our guys jumping around and they did a great job and then Jeremy Hunt (GBR) got in the break and we were nice and relaxed except in the back of my mind this means we're with the big guys and we have to go when they go. Fortunately with the help of all the other guys we were protected and that meant Thor and I were able to follow when they really went."

Just as he had done a week ago, Cancellara waved his tiny golden angel to the television camera before crossing the finish line some two minutes ahead of his closest rivals.

Team Saxo Bank's Fabian Cancellara wins the 2010 Paris-Roubaix. Photo copyright Fotoreporter Sirotti.

"I launched an attack in a dead moment of the race where the riders in the group were trying to recover from multiple earlier attacks and when I noticed that no one was able to follow, I kept my head down and the legs going to the finish line. I know it's a historic victory as I already won Ronde van Vlaanderen and with Paris-Roubaix I took "The Double" which only very few riders have done before me and this title has been my biggest motivation throughout the week. The team did a fantastic job today and we were constantly ahead of the upcoming challenges," Fabian Cancellara stated after his immensely impressive Paris-Roubaix win.

"I feel like I'm getting back to my old self," Cervelo TestTeam's Thor Hushovd commented after the finish. " Roger and Jeremy Hunt (GBR), the whole team did a fantastic job today keeping pace at the front. I was really, really tired at the end but I managed to edge out Flecha."

Paris-Roubaix legend George Hincapie (Team BMC Racing) had a hard day in the saddle and disappointingly finished in 29th place. "It wasn't my day," an exhausted Hincapie commented after the 260 kilometer race. "I was having a hard time following the accelerations and I basically ran out of fuel. I just wasn't firing on all cylinders today. I didn't feel as good as I have been feeling prior to this race, so it's definitely a disappointment."