Former Tour de France champion considers skipping 2010 edition
Carlos Sastre (Cervélo TestTeam) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Carlos Sastre (Cervélo TestTeam) is considering racing the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España in 2010, skipping the Grand Tour he won in 2008, the Tour de France.
"Maybe it's time the Giro and Vuelta become my next main objectives," the Spaniard told EFE yesterday. He is considering the Tour de France, but since he has already won it he might favour the other two Grand Tours, according to the Spanish news agency.
Organisers presented the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France routes in the last two weeks.
Tour organiser ASO unveiled a mountainous route, July 3 to 25. Its first mountains come in the Alps, Morzine and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. Four Pyrenean mountain stages come in races final week, with the Col du Tourmalet stage only four days before the finish.
The Giro d'Italia, May 8 to 30, is equally mountainous. Organiser RCS Sport will take the riders up the Zoncolan, Plan de Corones, Mortirolo and Gavia climbs in the final week.
"I think it [the Giro] is really hard, the climbers will benefit," continued Sastre. "I think the trialists do not have enough space to take time against the climbers.
"Then there are the mythical passes, like Gavia and Mortirolo. I think it's a special Giro that is very hard and that motivates me."
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The Tour "has changed its tone compared to this year's Tour and is a lot harder, more spectacular. There are a lot of mountain stages and not many flat stages."
Sastre said he will wait until the presentation of the Vuelta a España to make his final plans for 2010. Vuelta organiser Unipublic will present the 2010 Vuelta a España in Seville December 16.
