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Season 2007
CSC-Riis Cycling
At the end of the 2006 “Vuelta”, Bjarne Riis spoke about my team leadership role for the Grant Tours in 2007. This was very meaningful for me as well as a new responsibility. I knew that I could not fail my team manager’s trust as well as my team mates’, so I started the season full of dreams and ready to enjoy my work giving the best of me on the two assigned Grant Tours: “De Tour” and “La Vuelta”.
My first meeting with the team was at the end of January in the USA. We were in a training camp in San Francisco for three weeks. The training was in very good weather, unlike my first days of training on the roads of Avila together with my good training friends Joaquín Novoa and Miguel Angel Candil in which we experienced very cold and snowy temperatures.
We did lot things during those three weeks of training: Helping the new team mates to adapt to the group, intensive trainings and a lot traveling (Indianapolis to visit the ZIPP Wheels’ factory, the San Diego’s wind tunnel to test the new materials and bikes, touring around the Alcatraz Island, etc).
After the good results during the training camp and the work done at the Avila’s roads, I began to compete at the Almeria Classic. It was good feeling to have a race number in my back and see the public’s affection. The race was tougher that I thought since I ended during the race in a break away. None of my team mates were in it, so I had to keep up with the other rides to the finish line. Even it was hard I felt very good.
After Almeria I went to participate at the Murcia Tour. I was ready for it but I was unlucky. During first stage, we rode under a very bad weather condition and when we were getting close to the finish line I crushed with other rides due to the changing lateral wind. The next day, I could not start the stage because I had deep cut in my elbow and bursts on my back, head and heap. I was in a lot pain.
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| Sastre, Menchov y Samuel Sánchez, en el podio de La Castellana. |
Achievements
1º Criterium de L'Hospitalet
2º Vuelta a España
4º 9ª etapa Vuelta
4º 19ª etapa Vuelta
5º 10ª etapa Vuelta
6º 4ª etapa Vuelta
8º 18ª etapa Vuelta
2º Criterium ACP
3º Escalada Montjuïc
4º Tour de Francia
5º 14ª etapa Tour
8º 16ª etapa Tour
10º 8ª etapa Tour
10º 9ª etapa Tour
7º Clásica San Sebastián
16º Clásica de Almería
16º Giro dell' Emilia
19º Vuelta a Suiza
25º Tour de Romandía
37º Bayern Rundfahrt
45º Klasika de Primavera
63º Vuelta Castilla y León
66º Coppa Sabatini |
 Carlos Sastre, en cabeza del grupo de escapados a la entrada de la Vuelta en la ciudad amurallada de Avila. |
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Changes on my race schedule
After ten days of resting and not having any pain, I went back to my training. I had one week before starting on the Tour of Castilla and Leon. No time! I started but I was not sure how I will feel from my pain and lack of training. Fortunately, I felt better and better day after day.
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After this tour, I had the Basque Tour, a very tough. There were very good riders on this race and many of them had it as one of their main goals for the season. My task was to keep getting ready for the Tour. My team came with the mentality of winning either with Frank Schleck or Bobby Julich. The Basque Tour and the Amorebieta Classic were very tough races but for me they were training races since I was not ready to fight for them. They were perfect field test to see if I was recovering my strength normally after each stage. My preparation seemed to be a little bit behind but it was on the right track.
In agreement with my team, we decided to eliminate from my racing schedule the Liège - Bastogne – Liège and the Flèche Wallonne due to the consequences of crash on my training. The toughness and the quality of these two classics are very similar to World Championship. That’s why I like them a lot; however, there are instances in which we have to sacrifice things that one likes in order to increase one chances in races.
We set that the Tour de Romandie as my coming back to competition. |
I was very happy with my results on it. It was the first time on this season in which I felt good on my bike and ready to be on the front of the group. I saw my progression even I had little training. It was a good sign. From this date on, I was able to have a more intensive training thanks to the good weather. I tuned up my preparation while I visited the stages of the Tour in the Pyrenees and during the International Bayern Rundfahrt Tour.
The Tour de Suisse was one of the changes on my race schedule, so I did not go to the Dauphiné Libéré as I had always done in my preparation for the Tour. The reason was after having race the Bayern Rundfahrt Tour the best option for me was the Swiss race instead of the Dauphiné.
The time passed bye very fast before starting the Tour. My training was tougher and tougher. One could notice that the greatest cyclist event was getting close since the media was paying more attention to us. My intentions were not to fail to everyone expectations. |
From London to Paris
It was incredible to see how the Tour was received in London. I do not remember any other time when there were so many people at the sides of the road. Finally, the Tour began after a long week of traveling, media conferences and health check outs. The first two incredible Cancellera’s victories in the first time trial and in the third stage were a strong blow of motivation for our team. We kept the yellow jersey until the sixth stage. In conclusion, this first week was incredible.
Then, the Tour got to the Alps where my race really started. The first stage with finish line at “Le Gran Bornard” witnessed the victory of the German cyclist Gerdemann who ended with the yellow jersey. Fortunately, he was part of an early break away of people unimportant for the general classification (GC). There were great expectations on what would happen at the “Col de La Colombière”; however, the GC guys did not attack and had any problems to go thru.
The second Alpine stage finished at “Tignes”. It was a lot harder than the day before. I felt very good when I speeded up seeing Vinokourow loosing ground. We, all, considered him the major contender to win the Tour. |
At that time, we did not pay much attention to Ramussen, the stage winner and yellow jersey, since we thought he would not do well in other terrains. The negative side of this stage was to see a few of my team mates crashing: O’Grady (who had to withdraw from the race) and Cuesta (who could not help me at the end of the stage).
After the first Tour’s break, we had the last stage in the Alps finishing in Briançon. It was very tough and I had lot problems to keep up with the front group. Well, it was part my plans to go thru the Alps in this way, so I was relax and happy of getting in the Pyrenees in these physical conditions.
After three flat stages “recovering”, we have the first long time trial in Albi. I did not find my optimum pedaling in these 54 kilometers. I lost more time that I wished with my direct rivals and felt that the race was getting very complicated for me.
The next day, we had our first stage in the Pyrenees. In Plateau de Beille, Contador and Rasmussen showed that they were in a better condition than the rest of us. Getting to the podium seemed difficult. At the end of that stage, my mind was on the Queen stage with finish line in the “Col d’Aubisque”. That day, I did not doubt on what I have to do. I put all my cards on the table, I broke away from far. It seemed to be a suicide attack.
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I was seven minutes behind the first on the GC but the second and the third only had two and half minutes with me. That was my objective. I knew it was a very tough stage due to the climbs and it would be very difficult for a team to control the race. During the break away, I had some helped from the other riders but it was not enough to have accomplished my goal of winning the stage and getting in the podium. Anyways, I was happy because I tried even It was really hard for me but it was a positive experience. It was a pending challenge that it will help me to keep getting better in my professional life as well as in my personal.
That night I went bed as fifth on the GC and when I woke up I was forth. I would have preferred to keep being fifth because my gaining was due to Rasmussen’s withdrawn. The leader in the Tour was forced by his team, in not a clear way, to withdraw from the race. It was another punch to this sport.
I got to the last time trial in Cognac in forth place. It was hard and fast. At the end of it, I was still placed forth in the GC.
I arrived Paris happy of the work done even I was a little bit empty of not finishing again in the podium. I filled this emptiness with satisfaction of having worked hard and tried to win all the time.
From this day on, I started to focus in resting and recovering my motivation and strength to be ready for “la Vuelta a España”, my next goal.
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Getting to La Vuelta
The gap between these two grant tours went bye very fast; however, I had time to recharge my motivation and energy for this new challenge. I had a good metal and physical condition. I had more or less the same amount of kilometers as previous year but I had competed less, so I was a little bit more mentally rested.
During the fourth stage alter having finished the first three stages for the sprinters, we reached a mountain stage. The stage had the finished line on the Covandonga Lakes in which the Russian Efimkin won and took the yellow jersey. Later he became the revelation of this Vuelta. I placed myself third on the GC; however, I know that there were lot stages ahead.
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Before getting to first long time trial (52 km) in Zaragoza, we had three stages on the plain. Once again I showed that the time trials are not for me and it is even more difficult when the race goes in a very flat highway. I finished extremely exhausted and lost ground on the GC with my other contenders. I ended seventh on the GC. However, there were lot stages to go and I had strength and desire of doing something good. The next day, we started our first stage on the Pyrenees.
My team mates perfectly did the work and Cuesta was great in the final climb to Cerler. I could not keep Piepoli and Menchov in the front; however, I was very close and that was the most important thing. Mechov become the new race leader and I ended fourth in the GC a little more of three minutes behind. The second stage in the Pyrenees had the finish line in Arcalis. Nothing happened on that stage. We were a pack of eighty riders at the beginning to the last climb and seven riders finished this stage together at the same time as Menchov where he showed that was the strongest.
After this, we had four stages perfect for break away and sprinters. Then, la Vuelta arrived to Granada where at the end of the stage was waiting for us the thorny Monachil. This was one of the last opportunities to try to break away. I tried in different ways: my team pulling hard down the hill, making up that I was feeling bad, etc. It was impossible. I could not leave them behind.
La Vuelta arrived to my home town, Avila. This was tough stage. Everyone around
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was supporting me with their signs and
cheers. I was looking for this moment and had faith. The result was Efimkin loosing ground and I ended the stage by placing my feet on the podium. Going up in the GC was more difficult than climbing the mountains of La Vuelta.
The last mountain stage was at the surrounding mountains to Madrid. We climbed twice a very tough but short climb (Abantos). This was my last opportunity. During the first climbing to Abantos, I tried to break away four kilometer from the top but everyone hold onto me. Then, I tried again in the last climb. Samuel Sanchez worked together with me. He showed that he was very strong in these last stages and also was looking to get in the podium. Menchov did not show any fatigue instead he was strong; however, Evans started to loose ground with us. That’s why I got sometime over him, around 40 seconds, which was great going into the next day time trial. I ended the day being second in the GC.
As I was thinking in the last time trial, I had a very difficult day trying to keep my second place in the GC. Everyone bet on the Australian rider. Even some people were forecasting that I would be out of the podium in benefit of Samuel Sanchez. However, I could not allow this to happen. It was very hard and I risked a lot in every turn even with the wet roads. At the end, I kept my second place in the GC.
In the podium of Madrid, I congratulated Denis Menchov from the deepest of my heart since he showed to be the strongest rider in this Vuelta. He also congratulated me for the work done. I was very touch by the funs’ appreciation. I was very tired but extremely happy. This was la Vuelta that I have enjoyed most. In addition, I have to recognize the hard work done by my team mates who did have faith on me and worked very hard to help me to achieve this goal which is theirs and mine.
The World Championship
and last races
Even I was tired, I decided to go the World Championship. This is a race that I have
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always liked since I represent my country.
Once again the national cough assigned me to be the team leader. We had a very good team looking forward to win the gold medal. However, we could not make this time. We did a good race but at the end we could not finalized winning. We returned from Sttutgart disappointed. In the last years we have been spoiled with so many good results.
This season has been longer than others because after the World Championship, my team asked me to participate in a few classics to help my team mates. The Tour of Lombardía was our goal and in its preparation, I participated in la Coppa Sabatini, Tour of dell’Emilia and the Race of Beghelli.
Even though, the season was already too long I enjoyed of this trip and races because I was with my friend Joaquín Novoa, who was being tested by the CSC during these Italian classics. He showed conditions to be professional and has a great personality. He did a good job and assisted the team as another member of team in the final results.
The Montjuïc Climb and a few exhibition races were my last races to a very intense season that has been very special for me. I will not forget it! |
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