Despite the fact that the Cervélo Test Team took two stage wins plus a top ten finish overall last year, Vuelta a España director Jose Guillen has indicated that the team might be refused a wildcard if Carlos Sastre is not there.
“We will select the teams on quality. We want guarantees. In other words, it is difficult for Cervélo if Carlos Sastre is not there at the start,” he threatened, according to Wielerland.nl.
Guillen apparently has a short memory; even without Sastre, the team was one of the most successful in the 2009 edition. Simon Gerrans and Philip Deignan both took stage victories, while the latter finished ninth overall in Madrid.
The squad was also ninth in the teams’ classification.
Sastre has already committed to riding the Giro d’Italia, and is thought likely to start the Tour de France. If he is forced by Guillen to ride the Vuelta as a condition of the team’s acceptance into the race, that would mean three Grand Tours in one season.
The Spaniard has done that before, but is unlikely to rush to do so again due to the demands it places on the body.