The unhappy champion

Carlos Sastre, who won the Tour de France back in 2008, is probably the most disappointing champion that I've ever seen since I started watching the Grand Boucle in 1989.

In the 22 years since then, there were there three multiple champions in Greg Lemond, Miguel Indurain, Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador. Then there were those who won once in Bjarne Riis, Jan Ullrich, Marco Pantani, Floyd Landis and the Spaniard, Sastre. In fairness to Floyd, he wasn't able to make a defense when he won the Tour in 2006 after he tested positive for PED's but that's not the point of this article.

In the one-Tour-wonder gang, Sastre was the most pedestrian, but on the other hand, you can say that he was unassuming. Compared to the exciting Pantani, his character was as dry as the Tabernas Desert. He didn't have the fire and emotion of Riss and Landis nor did he possess the climbing ability of Pantani and the time-trialing skill of Ullrich. In other words, he wasn't a bad rider but he wasn't exceptional, too. I can say he was lucky.

His 2008 Tour win was unexpected. There was no defending champion. Armstrong had retired and Landis was defending his positive dope test. Contador, the 2007 champion, had his team banned by the race organizers for doping. The favorite then was Australia's Cadel Evans.

His win was based on his tactical attack on the famous Alped'Huez, where everybody was watching his teammates, the brothers Andy and Frank Schleck, who everybody thought was the strongest. Going into the final ITT, Sastre had a 94sec lead over Evans, who was considered a better time triallist and was expected to wrest the yellow jersey. But as they say in cycling lore, wearing the yellow jersey can give you the strength of two men and Sastre was able to hold off Evans.

In the three years since he won cycling's biggest prize, Sastre still has to find the respect deserving of a Tour champion. In 2009, just before the Tour, Armstrong said,"The (2008) Tour was a bit of a joke this year. I've got nothing against Sastre or Christian VandeVelde (LA's ex-teammate). Christian's a nice guy, but finishing fifth in the Tour de France? Come on." Armstrong would later apologize. Then on the final week, he lashed out at the media as disrespectful when as defending champion, he was made to answer about the rivalry between LA and Contador.

From 1st in 2008, he would finish 16th in 2009 and 20th last year, not a good CV in a contract year. This year, the disrespect continued when his contract wasn't renewed by his team (who merged with another team) clearly, for lack of results. He would go to another team called GEOX and team up with Denis Menchov, a former winner of both the Vuelta a Espana and the Girod'Italia, yet, in spite of their outstanding records, GEOX was refused entry in this year’s Tour de France. And to make matters worse, both Menchov and Sastre performed poorly in the just concluded Girod'Italia, which could cast a long shadow on their careers next year.

Sastre is 36, an age where most pros have retired competitively. For me, Sastre should consider himself lucky for winning one Tour for everybody knew that a repeat was a mission impossible. I hope that he will find peace when he finally rides into the sunset.