Sastre: A fast and nervous stage

Carlos Sastre continues to sit in sixth place overall in the 95th Tour de France. The CSC-Saxo Bank team has great ambitions for the overall. Sastre's team-mate, Fränk Schleck, is placed second, just one second back. The current transitional days aren't days to make ground in the overall battle. But a crash can easily cost all chances for winning in Paris. Current race leader Cadel Evans already had his scare in stage 9.

Sastre described his feelings of stage 12 after the stage. "Today's stage was very fast, but bearable. In the first part, the roads were very straight, constantly going up and down. It was very nervous. The wind came from the coast; it was a tailwind, so the pace of the group really increased. It made the stage real fast and real nervous."

The problem of such a stage is the affects on the head. "Above all it wears us out mentally." Sastre was happy that he and his team-mates managed to finish the stage without any accidents. He described the team as very motivated and was happy he and his buddies were able to survive another day with the big goal of winning the Tour de France in mind.