Carlos Sastre leads Cervélo TestTeam at Vuelta
The Spanish veteran, who has finished on the podium three times, will be starting his third grand tour of the year.
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Cervélo TestTeam is the latest team to announce its starting nine riders for the upcoming Vuelta a España.
Wearing the No. 1 bib at the Vuelta will be Spanish veteran Iñigo Cuesta, who will be starting his 16th Vuelta.
The team will rally around Carlos Sastre, who will be starting his third grand tour of 2010. Sastre surprised many when he announced a move to Geox for 2011. Sastre has finished three times among the top three and will be aiming for the final podium when the Vuelta concludes September 19 in Madrid.
Making his grand-tour debut will be Dutch sprinter Theo Bos. The former world track champion has won four races so far this year, all of them on Spanish roads.
Thor Hushovd will be aiming for stage victories, especially in the bumpy first week when there are plenty of stages that suit his ability to get over moderate climbs and win out of a reduced bunch. The Norwegian road champion will be also using the Vuelta to hone his form ahead of the world championships in Australia.
Also starting are Irishman Philip Deignan, who has struggled with health problems all season long, and Xavier Florencio, who was kept off Cervélo’s Tour de France team because he used a cream to treat saddle sores that was not approved by team doctors.
Austrian grand-tour rookie Stefan Denifl and Spanish gregarios Oscar Pujol and Xavier Tondo round out the squad.
Roger Hammond and Brett Lancaster were two riders on a long list left off for the final nine starting spots.
Cervélo TestTeam for Vuelta a España: Iñigo Cuesta (Spa); Carlos Sastre (Spa); Philip Deignan (Irl); Theo Bos (Ned); Stefan Denifl (Aut); Xavier Florencio (Spa); Thor Hushovd (Nor); Oscar Pujol (Spa); Xavier Tondo (Spa)