Sastre sews up the Tour

While everybody was giving the blue cup (the Tour trophy) to Cadel Evans going into the penultimate ITT stage, they seem to forget that the anatomy of Carlos Sastre was still complete, and you can include me on the “everybody”. Last time I checked, Sastre’s legs, arms and the rest of his body are still intact and when you’re anatomy is intact, anything is possible.

Everybody outside of Sastre’s team, SCS-SAXO, said that Sastre could not time trial. But wearing the armor of gold, the Yellow Jersey, the Maillot Jaune, did something magical to Sastre’s anatomy, “it gave him wings”.

Sastre does not have the electrifying personality of Lance Armstrong nor is he a joker like Floyd Landis. He isn’t even explosive on his bike like compatriot Alberto Contador. His perpetually pained face and hunched form on the bike cannot even pass for Dan Wistihuff III’s style points. But what Sastre has is the belief that he can win the big one. When everything was on the line, the Spaniard cranked it up! He won the 2008 Tour by failing to lose to the hands down favorite, Evans. It reminded me of Leonardo diCaprio when in one movie he said, “I’m not going to die today!”

As for Evans, he choked again big time for the 3rd time in a race that really matters. In the 2002 Giro d’Italia, he was wearing the Maglia Rosa on stage 17 when he lost an unbelievable 15 minutes to Paolo Salvodelli. In last years Tour, he was supposed to beat Alberto Contador in the final ITT but didn’t. Yesterday’s loss to Sastre was déjà vu all over again. It would be hard for Evans to be called a serious contender next year. The Schleck brothers will clearly be stronger plus Contador, Levi Leipheimmer and Andreas Kloden of ASTANA will be there. Of course, I don’t have to remind you that Sastre can’t be counted out.

The Tour this year may look exciting on paper but the actual racing was pretty tepid. Had Sastre lost the Tour, I think that team CSC-SAXO would have the rued the fact that they only attacked Evans only twice in 6 mountain stages. I’m sure that they will rethink their strategy for next year.

As for the observation that this Tour was exciting because it is a cleaner Tour, I simply beg to disagree. It is the cyclists that make the Tour exciting, not the other way around. If a rider is simply content to do nothing, then, it can’t be an exciting Tour. The Tour in 1986 and 1989, was right smack in the doping era yet it was won by a self-confessed Mr. Kleen, Greg Lemond and it was two of the most exciting Tour that I saw. Lemond and Bernard Hinault were at each others throat in 86 while in 89, Lemond was up against a cocky Parisian who thought he wouldn’t lose to a washed up American in Laurent Fignon.

There’s a saying that the tour makes the rider, not the other way around. But it is riders that makes the racing exciting, not the tour itself. And that was the story of the 08 tour, at least in my eyes. Till next year!
Viva sastre, vive le tour!!!