2008 Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre finished 104th on yesterday’s stage of the Volta a Catalunya, losing almost 20 minutes to his team-mate Xavi Tondo, yet indicated afterwards that he was satisfied with his sensations.
“The stage was very hard and fast, and we had about 3,700 metres of ascent,” the Spaniard said afterwards. “The sensations of today were not bad. I go as far as I can and the truth is that I don’t feel bad. I believe that the work done up till now has been good.
“Now it pays to keep working and eliminating the things that are missing in order to reach the Giro d’Italia in the best condition.”
The stage was won by his Cervélo team-mate Xavi Tondo, who also triumphed on the penultimate day of Paris-Nice. The twin victories mark a real step-up for the 31 year old rider, who until this season has not enjoyed the same level of success.
Sastre indicated that he took a lot of pleasure from the team’s result. “It was a beautiful day for us, in which Xavi Tondo has again won a stage for Cervélo. The team’s work was important and decisive, and both Tondo and Joaquim Rodriguez could launch the attack 35 kilometers from the finish.”
Tondo is now second overall, ten seconds behind Rodriguez, and has a chance to win the race. The Cervélo TestTeam will support him in those efforts, while Sastre will also continue to build form. He has had a eight-month break in racing and knows that he needs to sharpen up before his first major goal of the season, the Giro d’Italia.
The ProTour race continues today with a mountainous 209.7 kilometre stage from Oliana to Ascó.