Sastre refuses give up on Giro d'Italia win
Spaniard Carlos Sastre (Cervelo) refuses to stop fighting for this Giro d'Italia. The 2008 Tour de France winner won two stages in Italy last year but has bigger goals this year: the overall classification.
On Tuesday evening when the Giro d'Italia arrived in Bitonto, it looked like the overall win was beyond him, but the next day, as the race raced north from Italy's heel, the situation changed drastically.
Following another epic day in the rain, Sastre found himself in eighth overall at seven minutes behind leader Richie Porte.
"I am not a person who throws in the towel because I lost time," said Sastre. "I don't have big goals in mind, because it is really difficult, but I am here to fight."
Sastre won the Tour de France with a continued fight, until the final mountain stage up L'Alpe d'Huez. Last year, he failed to win the Giro d'Italia, but he came away with wins in two of the hardest stages: Monte Petrano and Monte Vesuvio.
Crashes and bad luck hampered his Giro campaign in the first week, but he made up for that today by joining an escape of 56 men.
"It's been a hard Giro for everyone: it is going really fast and hard form the beginning. You can see the differences are as if we have already had a real mountain stage.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"I was where I needed to be in every moment, but I had bad luck with crashes and flat tyres. That is how I lost the time. It is part of the race, but the race is not finished."
Sastre proved the race is not finished today and proved his training programme worked. He started this race with only eight racing days, the least amount he has ever had before a Grand Tour.
"He has experience; he knows what he is doing. It is almost the same preparation that had last year before the Giro. When a rider is convinced about his preparation, then it will work, especially a rider like him, with lots of experience," said sports director, Alex Sans Vega.
"This is one of the hardest editions of the Giro because a lot of riders are tired due to the tough first days. The weather, the long stages, the crashes and the long transfers."
Related links
Giro d'Italia 2010: Cycling Weekly's coverage index
2010 Giro d'Italia coverage in association with Zipvit
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.
-
Is Lotte Kopecky's bog-standard Specialized Crux proof that you don't need wide tires and fancy suspension systems for gravel racing?
Kopecky finished second at Gravel Worlds on a bike with minimal modifications
By Joe Baker Published
-
Undercover Mechanic: Cyclists have become very excited about aerodynamics without a correlated excitement for pilates - the result is a lot of spacers
90% of the front area is you, not the bike; having a kamtail downtube will make sod all difference if you’re unable to reach the bars, argues CW’s Undercover Mechanic
By Undercover Mechanic Published