Menchov looks to ride both the Giro and the Tour, while Sastre could once again ride all three Grand Tours
It appears that Denis Menchov's new Geox team wishes to follow in the long held tradition of Menchov racing two Grand Tours in a season. More interestingly, it looks like the team and Menchov are both not afraid of the enormously difficult undertaking next May's lap of Italy will promise. Menchov is set to race both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France next year.
In a chat with ESPN reported on by WielerFlits.nl, team director Joxean Fernandez Matxin confirmed that Menchov will target his second career Giro d'Italia overall victory then turn his sights to the Tour de France.
"After we took a closer look at the route of the Giro d'Italia, I think that next year's race has Denis's name written all over it. There are three time trials, a team time trial, a flat time trial, and a climbing time trial. Denis knows what it takes to win a Giro. The climbing time trial in 2011 [from Belluno to Nevegal] is one to pay particularly close attention to."
The move is an interesting one - it makes sense for an Italian sponsored team to hope for the top spot on the podium at home in May, but following Denis Menchov's first ever podium appearance at the Tour de France, the hope was surely that Menchov could contend for the win in the biggest race in the world. Considering the difficulty of next year's Giro and the demise of everyone at the Tour de France who first raced the Giro d'Italia, the move is indeed a head scratcher. Menchov has shown himself to be a rider that can come good in his second Grand Tour in the past, but his performance at this year's Tour de France came after a decidedly slow start to the season - not a start to the season that included the hardest Grand Tour in possibly a generation.
Not only is Geox seemingly unperturbed with Menchov going all in for the first two Grand Tours of the year, they're promoting the possibility of Carlos Sastre once again racing all three Grand Tours next season. While Sastre's season was nothing to scoff at, it had nothing even remotely resembling the incredible uphill talents that Sastre is known for.
"I spoke with [Carlos] after the presentation of the route of the Tour de France, and we're considering racing Carlos in all three Grand Tours. It will be difficult, but he has already done it and knows how to deal with it."
The Giro route would seem to be perfect for Sastre, but the 2008 Tour de France winner confessed to holding out hopes of a second Tour de France win this coming summer on a course that looks a lot like the one he won on in 2008. The same question remains - can Sastre (or Menchov) hold it together after the Giro? Not only that, can Sastre keep it together for a third Grand Tour?
If Sastre comes apart at the seams in September at the Vuelta, Matxin considers 35 year old, David Blanco, as another possibility for the team in Spain next year.
"I see David Blanco alongside Sastre at the Vuelta. He is a veteran who does not get enough recognition for winning the Tour of Portugal four times."
For Geox, the strategy looks to be a solid one for their own interests. The Italian-sponsored team will surely achieve some excellent results at home, but at what cost for the rest of the season?