Sastre and Contador in Castilla and León

Alberto Contador and Carlos Sastre will race in the Vuelta a Castilla y León (March 23-27) like they did in 2008. Olympic Champion Samuel Sánchez and Russian Denis Menchov will add to an illustrious field.

Organiser José Luis López Cerrón was happy with the quality signings for the race, he told EFE. "We cannot complain about the level of the participation." Cerrón added that the dates are good for the race. "The timing fits many teams very well in the preparation of the Grand Tours. Also, the stages are not extremely difficult and there are mountains, a time trial and flat stages. They also like the good organisation and the quality of the hotels."

Cerrón already picked a favourite. "Carlos Sastre will start the race in better condition because this year he wants to race the Giro d'Italia and for that he has to come here in better form."(AS)