After a frustrating few months where he hasn’t been firing on all cylinders, Carlos Sastre is showing signs that his form is on the up. The Geox-TMC competitor has benefited from riding the Giro d’Italia, and while he was back in 30th there, he finished seventh yesterday in the final general classification of the Tour of Slovenia.
Sastre ended the 2.1-ranked race two minutes 23 seconds off the winner Diego Ulissi (Lampre).
While Sastre and his team will miss the Tour de France, the 2008 race winner knows that his condition is improving and that he can chase results over the next few months. “After the Giro d’Italia, this race worked well for me to train and it will help me to arrive at the next race in good form. Until next Sunday, I will have to keep training and keep doing things well,” he said. “I feel in pretty good shape and am looking forward. My next race is the Spanish championship, which I’ve heard will be on a pretty tough course.”
While Sastre’s career has been built around stage races rather than single day events, he has shone on occasion in those sorts of races. Last year he was a solid third in the Classica San Sebastian and so he knows the potential is there to chase a medal. His chances of doing so will depend on how his form progresses as he recovers from Slovenia.
At 36 years of age, Sastre knows he has a limited amount of time left in his career. He spoke recently of being on the finishing straight, and his thoughts are clearly turning towards retirement. Last year wasn’t a particularly satisfying one for him, with that Classica San Sebastian podium place and eighth in both the Giro and the Vuelta being hightlights, but no race wins coming his way.
Missing the Tour de France is a blow, but there is also a bright side to it; he will be fresher for the Vuelta a España and provided he keeps training well and racing hard in the meantime, can target a podium finish in the Spanish Grand Tour. Team-mate Denis Menchov will be also approaching the race with big goals, knowing that the Geox-TMC sponsors haven’t yet got the results that they expected. Both riders will be determined to deliver in the Vuelta.