Cancellara pulls out of Amstel Gold. Peloton thrilled.

To the immense relief of Tom Boonen, Filippo Pozzato, Juan Antonio Flecha and everyone else in the pro peloton, Fabian Cancellara today admitted he was "tired." Everyone can now race in Amstel Gold without the embarrassment of some Swiss guy dumping them 50 kilometers from the finish.

Yup, the winner of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix back-to-back is now officially knackered, out of gas, a wee bit weary, exhausted and incapable of handing out any more punishment. He's decided not to ride this weekend's Amstel Gold race.

"I have put in a 100 per cent effort in order to achieve my memorable victories this spring," said Cancellara, in a statement released on the Saxo Bank website. "I now feel I can't give the same effort to another long Classic and feeling this way, it makes no sense competing at all. I am simply tired."

In fact, UCI President Patrick McQuaid may have asked the Swiss Champion to take a break so somebody else could win something big. He also requested that Fabian stop pedaling with both legs just to even up the odds.

Apparently, Fabian is also worn out by the constant partying since his big wins. Hitting the techno clubs in Copenhagen with Bjarne Riis made a full recovery nearly impossible.

So Tom Boonen, put a smile on your face, buddy. Pozzato, Flecha, you feeling better now?Ardennes classics riders -- don't you suddenly feel a renewed sense of optimism, confidence, the sweet theoretical possibility of victory?

Okay, now the bad news: Fabulous Fabian will still be riding the Amgen Tour of California -- that's not actually the bummer. No, the bad news is he'll be very well rested.