Sastre to ride three Grand Tours again

Carlos Sastre will take part in the three Grand Tours again in 2011, Geox team manager Mauro Gianetti told Cyclingnews at the launch of the Tour de France in Paris. This is provided his new team will be selected for the Grande Boucle, since participation criteria remain to be finalised.

After finishing eighth at the Giro d'Italia, 20th at the Tour de France and eighth at the Vuelta a Espana, Sastre is up for three Grand Tours again. "He wants to do all three," Gianetti said. "Last year he had a long pause after the Tour de France. He won't stop as long and he might work a bit less at training and race more." Even though he completed three Grand Tours last year, Sastre only had 72 days of racing.

Geox will have two captains with Sastre and Denis Menchov. "It's interesting to have two riders of this level. They get on well," Gianetti added. "But we will wait for the launch of the Giro d'Italia to figure out the race program for Menchov and the other riders."

Gianetti admitted he's got no guarantee of taking part in the biggest races next year following the discrete showing of Footon-Servetto in 2010. "We have to see if the new UCI rules are accepted or not, if our team gets a licence for racing in the first division or not, or if the old rules are followed," said the Swiss manager.

Geox might might end up being one of the teams applying for wildcard entries for racing. "We truly hope to be there with the two leaders we have," Gianetti insisted.

"We have a Tour de France winner and someone who has made the podium this year. Without the strike on stage two to Spa (when Fabian Cancellara got the whole bunch to wait for Andy Schleck - ed.), Menchov would have even won the 2010 Tour de France! With the young team we had this year, we've showed abilities to create spectacle and it has become a big team for next year."