From the kid that began cycling in the Cycling Group Angel Arroyo “Peña Ciclista Ángel Arroyo” (Caja Salamanca y Soria), to the hardened professional he is today, Carlos Sastre has tallied twenty years of effort and dedication a the spirit of achievement
To this day, Carlos Sastre continues on a long road that is hard to follow. Before being able to debut as a UCI elite, he had already attained many victories. In childhood, in a race with his own brother, Miguel who won, Carlos had felt the drive to win and give only his very best in competition. He would become a winner on schools teams, a fighter in the cadet category (in the Elvor team), and a leader for the junior category (Yuste Electricidad).
These first steps under the wise guardianship and direction of his own father were the similar steps that all professionals have had to make, but it had taught him to be organized, methodical, and extremely cautious. He particularly learned these qualities from the Navarre talent, Miguel Indurain, and other prerequisites needed to succeed as a professional cyclist such as working for others and overcoming adversity to win.
In 1997, after overcoming several injuries that prevented him from winning, including a hiatus hernia, Carlos resolved that he would remove all doubts about his place in the cycling world as one of it’s best. He had always been a cyclist with a clear understanding and goal that he would make a living through cycling, something he loved. Due to the hesitation of the Banesto directors, who didn't guarantee his place in the professional team, he decided to accept an offer from the opposite rival team, ONCE-Deutsche Bank. | 
There he began another learning phase. His excellent talent began to flourish as a professional cyclist. He thoroughly showed that his rings wouldn’t fall from working for others.
During the Vuelta 2000, he won the general for the mountain classification. His first victory as a professional was during the Burgos Tour when he won in a mountain stage. After four years on the rise next to Manolo Saiz, it was time to win, which was nearly impossible with the ONCE-Deutsche Bank Team.
Carlos’ switch to CSC was motivated by his need to confront higher challenges. He would not conform to anything less than a team with aspirations to win overall in a big race, and in this commitment he found a superb accomplice: Bjarne Riis. His tenth place finish in the overall classification in the 2002 Tour de France, where he was the only one that endured in Armstrong’s pace (in the La plagne stage), and his award for his courageous and offensive cycling earned him a renewed trust with the CSC in 2003.
Carlos' progression from that point has been steady and rising in the long distance races. In 2003, he finished 9th in the Tour after a brilliant performance in the 13th stage. In 2004, he went up another rung and finished in 8th place in the Tour despite having a fractured rib, and in 6th place in the Vuelta a España.
In the 2005 Tour, he acted as prop to colleague Ivan Basso, who finished in second after Armstrong. Despite the intense work he had carried out, he
| came in twenty-first in Paris. A month later, he took part in the Vuelta and brought home prizes for his team, finishing up on the third level of the podium.
The 2006 season marked his best record in the Tour in which, after his exceptional work for colleague Basso in the Giro, he had to unexpectedly act as team leader. He finished fourth in Paris, having skirted the possibility of winning in the decisive stage of the race. Then surprising everyone with his ability to recuperate, he even dared to give the Vuelta a shot, in which he was also fought the top positions out, coming in a very honourable and deserving fourth place.
The following year, with more confidence and experience in leading his team, he achieved another fourth place in the Tour and improved in the Vuelta, where he finished in second place, winning the heart of supporters through his competitive and fighting spirit, being the only rider in the whole race to challenge Denis Menchov.
And if the 2007 season confirmed his quality as a big-race cyclist, 2008 went to prove it further still, with his victory of the Tour de France. At the height of his maturity as a sportsman and person, he made his life-long dream come true. His performance in the Tour was impeccable. Backed by a great team, Carlos Sastre pulled off a perfect combination of strategy, tactics, intelligence and strength that resulted in the most sought after victory of any cyclist. The culmination of his best season would come a month later, when hardly having rested from the tribute ceremonies and events, he decided to set off in the Vuelta a España, taking the third place on the podium in Madrid. His generosity and dedication was seen by his fans and the media alike.
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