2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre tested his back on the cobblestones this week, riding the pavé in preparation for stage three of the Tour de France. It was an important test for the area of his body that was most injured in two falls during the Giro.
A second test was to use the bike he will utilise in tomorrow’s solo TT test in Rotterdam, and that too went well.
“I’m feeling calm and my back isn’t giving me any problems. I had my doubts about the time trial bike as the aerodynamic position is not very pleasant,” he said. “But I haven't felt any discomfort or pain. That spurs me on to give it my all and to take on the time trial feeling ready to do well.”
The Cervélo Test Team rider will be the designated leader for the general classification, while Thor Hushovd will represent the team’s top hopes in the sprinters’ stages and green jersey competition. Hushovd is aiming to take his third Maillot Vert, while Sastre is aiming for his second Maillot Jaune.
While many see rivals such as Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck and Lance Armstrong as being more likely to be in the running for the top step of the podium, Sastre is an interesting dark horse if he can rediscover his best form.
Some may consider that unlikely after he performed disappointingly in last year’s Tour, but the Spaniard maintains he was physically and mentally exhausted after riding a succession of Grand Tours and taking on too many other commitments.
Sastre hoped for a strong performance in the 2010 Giro, only for those plans to be scuppered by a herniated disk. Despite that, he finished eighth overall.
He hasn’t competed since the Giro d’Italia and is therefore set to use the opening days as an opportunity to ride into form. He seems content with things thus far.
“After all the activity yesterday with the presentation of the Tour, the team meetings and the press conference, today has been more easy-going”, he said.
He checked out the course for tomorrow’s prologue, adding additional kilometres to ready his muscles for the demands that will be made on them in less than 24 hours. “We continued with a small training session to fine tune our bikes and other equipment and choose the techniques we'll be using in the time trial. To be honest, everything is going well,” Sastre said, looking forward to the start of what will be his tenth consecutive Tour.