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Spain's Sastre rallies to grab Tour de France lead
He wins 17th stage by overtaking his teammate, Schleck
AP Photo
Carlos Sastre of Spain crosses the finish line first at L’Alpe-D'Huez, France, in the 17th stage.
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Published: July 24, 2008
L'ALPE-D'HUEZ, France
Carlos Sastre, who at one point yesterday was fetching water bottles for his teammate and race leader Frank Schleck, ended the 17th stage of the Tour de France by taking the yellow jersey from Schleck's shoulders.
On the toughest stage of the 95th Tour, CSC-Saxo Bank's Sastre attacked in the first mile of the day's final climb, a torrid 8.5-mile ascent to this Alpine resort. He gained time on every mile thereafter, winning the stage by more than two minutes over all of the other major contenders.
Sastre, long considered a top contender in cycling's biggest races but still with a win in a big multi-stage race, started this Tour de France as the team's designated leader. But when Schleck moved just one second away from the lead with a strong ride in the Pyrenees, Sastre vowed to work for Schleck, which he did, even for much of yesterday's stage.
In the end, however, the team came first. That meant that when Sastre decided to attack the group of top contenders on the climb to Alpe-d'Huez, Schleck -- knowing that Cadel Evans would follow any move he made -- had to let Sastre go. He also let go the hope of his own Tour victory.
"That's the philosophy of the team, to sacrifice yourself," Sastre said. "At the beginning of the climb, I decided on my own to attack. I told Frank that I felt extremely well, and that I would give it a go. Frank said, ‘Well, OK.' "
Although Evans, an Australian who rides for Silence-Lotto, tried hard to pick up his tempo as Sastre disappeared up the road, he couldn't match Sastre's speed. Evans is now fourth overall, 1:34 behind Sastre.
Schleck, who looked disappointed immediately after the stage but who nevertheless praised Sastre's effort, fell to second place, 1:24 behind his teammate. Bernhard Kohl of Gerolsteiner is in third at 1:33.
Barring a disaster by Sastre, Evans has one hope left to move back into the race lead before the finish in Paris on Sunday. That is in Saturday's 33-mile time trial, which travels a gently rolling route from Cerilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond.
He has reason to hope, as well. In the much-shorter 18-mile time trial in this Tour's fourth stage, Evans beat Sastre by 1:16. In the final, long time trial of last year's Tour, Evans beat Sastre by 2:33.
Anyone who doubts that professional cycling is a team sport need only have watched CSC-Saxo Bank take apart the peloton yesterday. The team's strategy was the same on the 17th stage as it had been in the 16th and 15th -- ride hard at the front of the peloton up all the climbs, push the pace and force rivals to work hard to stay with Schleck and Sastre.
On the long climb of the Croix de Fer, CSC had no fewer than six riders at the front, and that was after Stuart O'Grady had done his part by pulling the peloton across the valley from the base of the Telegraphe Pass to the beginning of the Croix de Fer. With Fabian Cancellara at the front during the climb, the lead of a four-man breakaway fell from more than seven minutes to less than two minutes.
Demonstrating the level of teamwork on the CSC team during the Croix de Fer climb, Sastre, despite being in fourth place overall and a team leader, slid back through the peloton alongside teammate Jens Voigt to ferry water bottles up to the domestiques -- the riders doing the work for the team.
Cancellara again set a hard pace through the valley leading to the Alpe, then turned the race over to teammate Andy Schleck, Frank Schleck's younger brother. Andy Schleck paced the leaders up the climb and responded to any attacks from other riders.
Asked after the stage whether he thought his lead was now wide enough to allow him to keep the yellow jersey through the time trial and into Paris, Sastre said he wasn't sure and didn't want to think about it.
"I just want to enjoy the moment with the team, and enjoy the next few days in the yellow jersey," he said. "It will be difficult to gain time over the next couple of days. I want to rest as much as possible for the time trial."
The key to his victory, Sastre said, was the work that his teammates put in.
"I decided to attack at the start of the Alpe-d'Huez," Sastre said, "because I knew that everyone would be tired from the efforts of the CSC team on the Croix de Fer," the penultimate climb, which was also rated "beyond category" in steepness and in length.
"I thought it was better to take off early so the others wouldn't be in a specific rhythm already. And I wanted to surprise them as early as possible."
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