 After his second-place finish at the Under-23 time trial championship, Cancellara turned professional with Mapei – Quick-Step, which was one of the strongest teams in the world at the time. Cancellara rode as a stagiaire for the Mapei – Quick-Step team in late 2000 before joining the team for the 2001 season as a member of the "Young Riders Project". Cancellara's first victory as a professional came at the prologue of the Tour of Rhodes, where he also won the overall final general classification.
