Season 2005
CSC-Riis Cycling
I started this season feeling good after my first training camp in Italy. Everything went right before starting the first races of this season. Before I went to my second training camp in Artimino (Italy), I had a small break to spend time with my family. During the training in Italy, I got ready for the Paris-Nice race in which my team was looking at the GC (general classification). My goal for this race was to gain miles in my legs and to help my team. We had great results; Bobby sat on the top of the podium.
Then, I came back home to get ready for the Basque Country Tour. I wanted to be on the top of the group, so I could test my strength and conditions in order to be ready for this year’s goals. In this tour, the first stage was tough and selective as it has been always which I consider one of the best of the ProTour. Lasting 15 kilometers to the end of the stage, a crash stopped me from being in the front group and put out me of business for a month since I broke my elbow. I could not move my arm at all.
After a very intensive and slow recovery, I came back to race in the Tour of Cataluña. This tour was tough and I tried to be on the front group, but it was not possible since I did not have much training after my crash. From this point, I started counted the days for the beginning of the Tour de France. it as one of my goals for the year. I worked very hard, but it was not enough. I did a good race, but I did not have motivation since I did not feel 100%. It was not a good start; however, when I rode my bike in the first stages, I did not too bad.
In the first mountain stage, I lost six minutes, so this was the end of my race. From this point on due to my lack of security on my shape, I decided to help my teammate, Ivan Basso. By the end of the race I felt like putting an end to my career. However, in the last individual time trial, I did very well and I ended on the top ten. This showed that I was again on the front group. After this stage, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I was very motivated to set new goals for the season, including la Vuelta España.
This race marked my future. During the month of August, I trained very hard in order to be ready for la Vuelta. I began doing a great time trial in Granada. This sparked my motivation to start fighting again. In this Vuelta, I attacked all the time giving all. During this Vuelta, I recovered my dream as a child, which had been gone for almost three years. |
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Podio de la Vuelta a España 2005, en la que Sastre compartió cajón con
Roberto Heras y Denis Menchov.
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Achievements
2º Vuelta a España
2º 11ª etapa Vuelta
3º 20ª etapa Vuelta
4º Prólogo Vuelta
4º 9ª etapa Vuelta
4º 14ª etapa Vuelta
5º 6ª etapa Vuelta
6º 17ª etapa Vuelta
7º 10ª etapa Vuelta
8º 18ª etapa Vuelta
9º 15ª etapa Vuelta
2º Escalada Montjuïc
3º CRE Eindhoven
6º Giro dell' Emilia
8º Cto. España CRI
18º Clásica San Sebastián
21
º Tour de Francia
2º CRE Tour
9º 20ª etapa Tour
21º Campeonato Zúrich
27º Giro de Lombardía
40º Clasif. UCI Pro Tour
79º Volta a Catalunya |
Carlos Sastre, en la Vuelta de 2005.
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At the end, I felt that I wanted to race in order to see how far I can go. Finally, I was on the podium of la Vuelta since the last time in 2000 when I won the mountain GC. . After la Vuelta, I had a month of several races. I felt good to
keep racing and fought very hard in |
each of them even though I could not win, I was on the top. I felt joyful again. It was such a gift for me. |
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