Sastre and the Giro



ndbiker

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Feb 9, 2006
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I read an article Friday where Carlos Sastre is working to podium at the Giro (the only grand tour he has not podiumed at). He seems to come into his own later in the year having a lot of success in the Vuelta and of course last year winning the TDF. He hasn't, at least that I could discover done much early in the season. The last several years he's been with a strong team. This year he has looked at best mediocre with the Cervelo Test Team. Assuming that he will be ready for the Giro does he have the teammates to support him through a three week race and for a potential podium finish? The new team seems to have done OK with winning stages here and there but do they have the man power to contend in the GC?
 
ndbiker said:
I read an article Friday where Carlos Sastre is working to podium at the Giro (the only grand tour he has not podiumed at). He seems to come into his own later in the year having a lot of success in the Vuelta and of course last year winning the TDF. He hasn't, at least that I could discover done much early in the season. The last several years he's been with a strong team. This year he has looked at best mediocre with the Cervelo Test Team. Assuming that he will be ready for the Giro does he have the teammates to support him through a three week race and for a potential podium finish? The new team seems to have done OK with winning stages here and there but do they have the man power to contend in the GC?

he certainly hasn't done himself a service by jumping from csc/saxo to cervelo, thinking that saxo still are stronger. don't see anyone of note that can protect him as the schlecks did last year in the tdf.
 
I agree.

Why did Sastre leave Saxo? Given the resources at Cervelo, as defending TDF champion, I thought that staying at Saxo would have been a more obvious option
 
limerickman said:
I agree.

Why did Sastre leave Saxo? Given the resources at Cervelo, as defending TDF champion, I thought that staying at Saxo would have been a more obvious option
Maybe, and this is purely conjecture, is that he liked the idea of the entire sponsership being devoted to cycling. I am not too well versed in the nature of the business relationships between sponsers and teams but it might be nice to have a team sponser who is about the sport and not just about the advertising and publicity the team can garner. Granted Cervelo and all it's other sponsers will surely hope to gain sales throught the venture, however Cervelo's business is racing (particularly triathlon), not GPS's, cell phones, banks etc. I would think however, he would have to know it reduces his chances of competing at the level he had become accustomed to. I don't think that Cervelo as a team will be too negatively affected by a poor or mediocre season, it's just their first year and this is an experiment in a way. However, it could possibly affect Sastre's competitiveness for the remainder of his career if he becomes relegated to being a mid pack rider.
 
slovakguy said:
he certainly hasn't done himself a service by jumping from csc/saxo to cervelo, thinking that saxo still are stronger. don't see anyone of note that can protect him as the schlecks did last year in the tdf.

Huh ? Did you watch the Tour last year ? Did you see Andy Shleck ride up mountains whilst texting his girlfriend along with responding to every single attack by all the other teams. That would be enough for me to retire if I was Sastre.

The writing was on the wall. The Shleck boys are new gen & Sastre was on the way out.

Besides Sastre had already explained that he didn't like Riis betting on the Shlecks & himself with the 3 prong approach. He saw it as Riis not beliving he could win.

Sastre made the right move. He now has full team support. He couldn't compete for Riis's love with those gorgeous young lads at Saxo.
 
I thought it was pretty odd that a team would let a rider go a couple months after he won the TDF. But there's quite a few egos in that Saxo bunch now. Maybe too many chiefs. Also, look what happenned with Bjarne and his relationship with his Golden Boy Basso, who the hell knows what was going on behind the scene. There's a lot of weird **** going on with Bjarne and that team, doping skews reality even more.
 
caught something from cycle sport last month or two ago that there was a bit of a blow up between bjarne and carlos during/just after (?) the vuelta about riis not giving him enough support to battle contador for the title. that's all i've seen about it and haven't picked up anything more elsewhere to confirm even that.
 
limerickman said:
I agree.

Why did Sastre leave Saxo? Given the resources at Cervelo, as defending TDF champion, I thought that staying at Saxo would have been a more obvious option
From what I read, Sastre wasn't well liked by Riis... and it's not like Riis doesn't have a couple of riders who should be contenders.
 
Frankly (pun intended), Sastre is a loser if he's considering (not that he is) what Grand Tour he has not podiumed at, and hoping to just gain any podium spot at the Giro. He should only think about being on the top step of any Grand Tour he attempts, given that he has already been at the top of the podium for a Grand Tour.

And Sastre only won because Astana was not participating in the Grand Tour in question. So nobody gives his win particular weight. It will be further diminished when Astana returns to being at the top of the podium at the TdF this year. Sastre is only slightly better than Oscar P, who won because of Riis (and others) misdirecting his team and because of Landis' problems.

If LA gets into decent form for the Giro, it is possible that last year's TdF winner could become beaten (be outranked) by Astana in both the Giro and the Tour. So, ideally, LA or Popo would outrank Sastre in the Giro, and AC or LA or Levi (or more than one of them) would outrank Sastre in the Tour. How humiliating for C Prudhomme it would be then!
 
musette said:
Frankly (pun intended), Sastre is a loser .............

I didn't think that you could outdo yourself in the posting nonsense stakes.

For once, you have managed to prove me wrong.

Unbelievable.
 
i dont think sastre will finish the giro, i think the only reason he is starting is to make sure cervelo get a invite. this will be a training ride. He will be aiming for the tour. i dont blame him for leaving saxo, at least he wont have to hold back to make sure frank schleck doesn't get dropped now.