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Sastre and Tondo shine in mountains

September 04, 2010 - Filed under: TestTeam

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Cervélo TestTeam's GC options got a huge boost as Carlos Sastre (ESP) and Xavier Tondo (ESP) were among the main protagonists in Saturday's explosive eighth stage over the Xorret de Catí summit.

Tondo and Sastre rode with the top leaders to finish ninth and tenth, respectively, and climb higher in the overall standings after the hard-fought 190 km stage from Villena to Xorret de Catí. Tondo climbed into fourth overall at 42 seconds behind new leader Igor Antón (SPA). Sastre slotted into the top-20 into 16th at 2:11 back.

"We are very content with how the stage unfolded. Neither Carlos nor I like short climbs like this, but we were right there in the middle of the action. It was great to see Carlos doing well," Tondo said at the line. "The team rode great today and every day we're feeling better as the race progresses. The pace was difficult, but the legs responded when they needed to, so we're thrilled."

"Today's stage was another really tough day given the route and the heat. The team did a really great job again and we moved forward a little in the general classification, especially with Tondo, who is in great shape and riding at a fast pace", said the Cervélo TestTeam leader.

A five-man breakaway peeled away early in the rollercoaster stage and built up enough gap to produce the first successful escape of the 2010 Vuelta. David Moncoutie (FRA) won the stage.

With 45 km to go, Cervélo put men on the front, with Oscar Pujol (ESP), Stefan Denifl (AUT), Xavier Florencio (ESP). Phillip Deignan (IRE) and Iñigo Cuesta (ESP) all taking pulls to reduce the gap and put pressure on some of the other teams.

The real action heated up behind when the GC favorites hit the short but steep final climb. Sastre attacked halfway up the climb to split the group and then Tondo followed out, joining Antón, Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) and Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP). The Sastre group gained more than 30 seconds on their direct GC rivals.

The challenging course was not for the sprinters, and Thor Hushovd (NOR) and Theo Bos (NED) slipped off the back to let the GC favorites duke it out.

The 65th Vuelta continues Sunday with the seven-climb, 187.7km ninth stage from Calpe to Alcoy. The route starts along the Mediterranean Coast before turning inland to tackle a series of moderate climbs that should produce more fireworks in the overall classification.