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Spain's Sastre captures stage and overall lead
Associated Press
Jul 24, 2008
L'ALPE D'HUEZ, France - Carlos Sastre of Spain won the 17th stage of the Tour de France, taking the overall lead yesterday from CSC teammate Frank Schleck on the hardest ride up three huge Alpine climbs. Sastre took the yellow jersey by speeding ahead of the main title contenders in the final ascent of the 130.8-mile ride from Embrun to L'Alpe d'Huez.
"I suffered a lot on the way to the summit, but I take great pleasure in capturing the jersey," Sastre said through a translator. "A pure climber has to take advantage of his opportunities, and this was mine."
Sastre, a five-time top-10 finisher at the Tour who also won a mountain stage in 2003, beat most of the other contenders by more than two minutes. The 33-year-old Spaniard is riding in his eighth Tour, and this is his first yellow jersey.
"It's a dream come true," he said.
The stage was the last of three in the Alps. On Saturday, riders will face a time trial that is likely to determine the Tour winner. Two mostly flat stages in the meantime aren't likely to influence the leading bunch.
Cadel Evans of Australia remains a favorite to win the Tour because he is the best time-trial cyclist among the contenders.
Sastre leads Schleck by 1 minute, 24 seconds and Bernhard Kohl of Germany by 1:33. Evans is fourth, 1:34 behind. Among other strong time-trial riders, Denis Menchov of Russia is fifth, 2:39 behind, and Christian Vande Velde of the United States is sixth, 4:41 back.
Team CSC was dominant up the first two climbs, leading the group around the race leader that split ahead of the main pack. By the base of L'Alpe d'Huez, Schleck had five teammates escorting him.
It was then that Sastre went ahead, and he extended his lead up the famed final climb.
Now it is likely to come down to whether Sastre leads Evans enough to hold him off in the time trial.
Tour de France at a Glance
Yesterday: The toughest climb of the Tour so far took riders 130.8 miles from Embrun to L'Alpe d'Huez and featured three climbs that are beyond classification.
Winner: Carlos Sastre of Spain won by attacking at the bottom of L'Alpe d'Huez and finished clear of the chasing pack. Samuel Sanchez of Spain was second and Andy Schleck of Luxembourg third. Both were 2 minutes, 3 seconds behind Sastre.
Yellow jersey: Sastre took the yellow jersey and leads Frank Schleck, the overnight leader, by 1 minute, 24 seconds. Bernhard Kohl of Austria is third at 1:33.
Today: The 18th stage takes riders 122.1 miles from Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint-Etienne in medium mountains.
- Associated Press
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