Sastre looking to assess form at Castilla y Leon
Spaniard now recovered from illness earlier in the season
Carlos Sastre (Geox-TMC) will go to the Castilla y Leon on Wednesday in search of some much needed form having had a forgettable and largely anonymous start to the season. The Spaniard will lead his Geox-TMC team but sees the race more as an indicator for his participation in the Giro d’Italia.
Having last raced at the Vuelta a Catalunya in Spain where he finished sixth last, Sastre will hope he can put the start of the season behind him.
"I had a lung infection at Catalunya which meant I struggled, and I decided to take a break from racing," explained the Spaniard.
"I think I made the right choice, if I had not done so, things could have been much worse. Now I just want to work on my form in peace at the Castilla y Leon."
Sastre still feels despite a less than ideal lead up that he can perform well at the Giro.
"Fortunately I still have three weeks before the start of the Giro, so I can hopefully refine my condition going into May."
Geox-TMC management have put no pressure on Sastre to ride well but will be hoping for bigger things in three weeks time.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"Sastre will be there to test himself rather than to ride for the general classification. We have other cards to play with sprinters Matteo Pelucchi and Marko Kump - so there are opportunities."
The Vuelta Castilla y Leon starts on Wednesday with a 179.4 km stage to Palencia.
Alex Hinds, Production Editor
Sydney, Australia
Alex Hinds is a graduate of Economics and Political Science from Sydney University. Growing up in the metropolitan area of the city he quickly became a bike junkie, dabbling in mountain and road riding. Alex raced on the road in his late teens, but with the time demands of work and university proving too much, decided not to further pursue full-time riding.
If he was going to be involved in cycling in another way the media seemed the next best bet and jumped at the opportunity to work in the Sydney office of Cyclingnews when an offer arose in early 2011.
Though the WorldTour is of course a huge point of focus throughout the year, Alex also takes a keen interest in the domestic racing scene with a view to helping foster the careers of the next generation of cycling.
When not writing for Cyclingnews Alex is a strong proponent of the awareness of cyclists on the road in Sydney having had a few close run-ins with city traffic in the past.