Olano: Sastre and Contador are favourites

Abraham Olano expects the winners of the previous two Grand Tours to shine in the Spanish equivalent, the Vuelta a España, according to todociclismo.com. The ex-professional cyclist and now sports director of the Vuelta expects Astana's Alberto Contador, winner of the Giro d'Italia, and the CSC-Saxo Bank's Carlos Sastre, winner of the Tour de France, on the top of the final overall podium.

"Both have a great form and I know that they prepared exclusively for the win," confirmed Olano, winner of the 1998 Vuelta. He also mentioned another Spaniard as a favourite for the podium: "I don't want to forget Alejandro Valverde, who is also keen on winning the Vuelta a España and has already won various races in this season."

Olano conceded that this year's edition will be very difficult for the cyclists. The famous ascent of the Angliru, which is regarded as one of the hardest climbs, will create an extra challenge in this year's edition. He added, "There are also other stages where the mountains will be decisive." (MP)