 Cancellara was again thought to be the odds @-@ on favorite at the next monument classic , Paris – Roubaix . After an aggressive first two hours of racing kept any breakaway groups from going clear , a leading group of 21 slowly formed between the start of the cobbles and the Arenberg sector . They took a maximum advantage of two and a half minutes . The second group on the road gradually whittled down to a select group of top favorites . Cancellara tried several times to accelerate out of this group to bridge to the front of the race . Thor Hushovd , Alessandro Ballan , and Juan Antonio Flecha marked his moves , but did not contribute any work , instead simply holding Cancellara 's wheel . Eventually , Cancellara decided against towing the superior sprinter Hushovd to the front of the race with him , and for a while forewent further attacks . During this time , the leaders ' time gap held steady at about 90 seconds for many kilometers . Right about the time that Johan Vansummeren attacked from the leading group and got free to occupy first position on the road , with 15 km ( 9 @.@ 3 mi ) left to race , Cancellara did likewise out of the group of favorites , putting in easily his most intensive pull . Only Hushovd and Ballan could follow , and they stormed past the remnants of the earlier breakaway , with the exception of Vansummeren who remained out front for victory . Cancellara bested Maarten Tjallingii and Grégory Rast in a sprint for second place 19 seconds back of the Belgian . Cancellara again rued after the race that everyone had marked him and only him . He claimed that the non @-@ cooperation of riders like Hushovd and Ballan had meant victory for him was not possible , and so second place for him was like a victory that day . Vaughters commented that Cancellara was indeed the strongest single rider in the race , but his squad had been the strongest team , which was why they won . Cancellara was also badly isolated from his teammates as a result of his rivals ' tactics and his teammates ' lesser form . The only other Leopard Trek rider after to finish the race was Mortensen in 94th , almost 14 minutes down . Cancellara 's ride was not entirely without reward , as it was after Paris – Roubaix that he attained the UCI world number one ranking , thanks mostly to his three podium finishes at the monuments . 
