|
31.08.2007/ This years Vuelta Espana will start today in Vigo.
The Tour of Spain is the final grand tour in a black year for pro cycling. Who are the race favourites?
|
| Cadel Evans is one of the favourites for the overall win (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
According to the calendar autumn begins on Saturday so maybe it's quite appropriate that this day also marks
the beginning of the very last Grand Tour of the season. Vuelta a Espana – a total of 3.241 kilometers with start in
Vigo in the western part of Spain a few kilometers north of Portugal.
The race includes 11 so called "flat" stages,
eight mountain stages and two time trials of 74 kilometers. Out of the mountain stages the four finish at the top of either
a category-1 or an outside of category mountain: fourth stage to Lagos de Covadonga, ninth stage to Estación de Esquí Cerler,
tenth stage to Estación d'Esqui d'Ordino-Arcalís and 19th stage to Alto de Abantos.
But there are loads of other stages
begging for attacks so excitement and drama are mandatory during the next three weeks until the peloton arrive in Madrid on
September 23.
Carlos Sastre is one of the favourites for the overall win: "I think I'm quite rested after Tour de
France and I feel in great shape so I'm going to be at my very best in this race. Apart from Clasica San Sebastian I haven't
done any other races since the Tour so I haven't really tested my strength as such, but I'm quite sure I'm in the right place
at the moment," says Carlos Sastre about his preparations.
The Spanish Team CSC captain prefers not to focus too much
on the other teams and continues:
"Because I haven't done that many races in the last month it's hard for me to say,
who would be our worst rivals. I'd rather take it one day at a time as the race unfolds. You could say that my take on this
is that I don't care about the rest of the world – I'm doing my own thing as best I can. As long as I know deep down
that I'm doing my very best - that's all I can do."
Four times during his career Sastre has been among the top-10 in
the Vuelta. First time was in 2000, where he was eight and where he also won the Mountain Competition. He was sixth in 2004,
second in 2005 and fourth last year. In 2006 Sastre wore the golden leader's jersey during the second stage after the team
had won the team time trial in first stage and later in the race he also wore the mountain jersey for several days.
Other race favourites are the number two of this years Tour de France, Cadel Evans and Rabobank's Russian
rider Dennis Menchov who won the Vuelta 2005 after Roberto Heras was tested positiv.
Oscar Pereiro is also tipped as a possible winner of this years Vuelta. During a press conference earlier
this week Pereiro ended the speculation about a possible move to another team: “I’m going to stay with Caisse
d'Epargne for the next two seasons”. Team manager Eusebio Unzue also steered clear of any controversy. “Caisse
d'Epargne backs us and this is no doubt they're going to continue supporting us. We have a contract through the end of 2010”. Pereiro
was emphatic. "I am in peak form right now. Sincerely, I have never felt this way before starting a race like the Vuelta.
I’ve never had these feelings”. Asked about the responsibility of being team leader, Pereiro declared: “Pressure?
I don't have any problem with pressure. I’ve had more pressure vis-à-vis the Tour and nothing ever happened. This year,
I’m coming into the Vuelta with all my training done and I expect that people will see that on the road. The gold jersey?
I’m going to fight for it, and I believe Denis Menchov and Carlos Sastre will be my greatest rivals".
Related stories:
Special Coverage Vuelta Espana 2007
|
