Sastre reacts to Valverde's ban

As Carlos Sastre prepares to take on his second Grand Tour of the year, the CSC rider took time to chat with EFE Radio about the news that the UCI has opened a formal investigation of his compatriot Alejandro Valverde. Sastre was concerned with the news, especially with the fact that the UCI could stop Valverde from racing in the absence of any positive test - simply on speculation alone.

"There are things that you do not understand - we all followed the business of Operación Puerto without understanding it," Sastre said. "The important thing is that they look for a solution, one that is of real benefit to the sport in general, not just for cycling. The truth is that to blame people without having tests is hard," but he acknowledged that he wasn't extremely familiar with the process.

Sastre was critical of the publicity surrounding the case, which has damaged the credibility of the sport and to the riders. He indicated that the allegations might not turn out to be correct, in which case the riders encounter backwards justice from the normal 'innocent until proven guilty' - but it's not possible to get back what was taken away after one's reputation has been destroyed.

The 32 year-old prefers to think about the upcoming race, and is hopeful that he has recovered well from the Tour de France, where he finished one step off the podium. He is looking forward to the Vuelta a España which, in his words, "has just a little bit of everything," indicating that he likes the stages where the mountains come one after another, especially the stages following the first time trial to Zaragoza. With many of the difficulties early in the race, Sastre summarised, "It is a route that is almost going to maintain the classification intact until the end of the race."