Cervelo TestTeam's Carlos Sastre made one last effort for success in stage twenty of the Giro d'Italia today, but despite a big effort, he was unable to come away with the stage win or move up in the overall rankings. The Spaniard went clear with a large break 57 kilometers into the race and had teammate Marcel Wyss with him to help pave the way.
"This penultimate stage of the Giro d'Italia has been special for me and my team," Sastre said after the stage. "It was the only option we had left to try to make something happen, so we tried it from far away to try to get the most out of it."
He began the today's difficult stage in sixth place overall, and with a difficult day that included the Passo di Gavia, he felt he had nothing to lose if he were to lose some places in the overall. "After winning the Tour, having stood on different podiums and finished within the top ten riders many times, being up in the top three positions isn’t so important" he said.
For Sastre to leapfrog onto the podium wasn't possible, so he went for the stage. "I went into it [the break] to give my maximum," he said. According to the Cervelo TestTeam rider, the others weren't the move to give it 100 percent. "I didn't have the right company or communication to achieve much."
Despite losing two places in the overall standings and missing out of the stage, Sastre doesn't regret trying for a result. "I am pleased that I fought to the end in this Giro d'Italia. Liquigas was able to control it from the beginning to the end very easily," he concluded.