Standing in for suspended team-mate Alejandro Valverde, Caisse d’Epargne rider Luis León Sanchez will aim to fill the void by chasing a top-ten result in this year’s Tour de France.
The 27 year old will wear the newly-acquired jersey of Spanish time trial champion in tomorrow’s race against the clock, and could fare well on the flat, fast, 8.9 kilometre course.
“The big favorite is of course Fabian Cancellara, but I believe I am able to do it well too and I shall fight to get the best possible time. The course is a fast one with many curves. It is a good one for me and I am really motivated to do well.”
Sanchez is best known for winning the 2009 Paris-Nice, grabbing the lead from Alberto Contador when the Spaniard cracked with hunger knock, as well as stages in the 2008 and 2009 Tours de France.
He’s also won races such as the Tour Down Under, the Tour Méditerranéen and this year took the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Some have drawn comparisons between him and Miguel Indurain, although Sanchez clearly needs to show more consistency in the Grand Tours to justify that line of thought. It’s far too early to know if he can win a three-week race in future years, but perhaps this year’s Tour will show if that goal is reasonable or not.
Starting the race as the clear leader gives him the platform to ride as well as possible between the start in Rotterdam and the finish in Paris.
“The Tour de France is a very special race and you cannot compare it with another one. Of course to be the leader in such a big event put some more pressure on you but my team has a lot of experience in the Tour and I know that they will do everything they can to help me,” he said.
“In fact I am feeling very well and it is the first time I start the Tour in such a good condition. Of course I would like to reach Paris in the top ten on next July 25 and my goal is to be ahead but you have to be very careful and we shall see how what happens day after day.”
Adding to his two Tour stage wins is another target for him. He’s done it before and that takes some pressure off. “I am a lucky guy because I already know what it means to win a stage in the Tour and of course I would like that to happen again,” he explained. “I am not looking for a stage in particular. We first have to wait and see what will happen in the first stages in the Netherlands and Belgium. The first goal will be to avoid crashes and I believe it will be the same for everybody in the bunch. After that it will be important to study the road book and see which stages offer the best opportunities.
“My weakest point has always been high mountain stages and this year I really worked a lot to improve that point. I spent a lot of time in Sierra Nevada to train in altitude and I am each time better in the mountains. Even if my level was not so good in the Tour de Suisse, I tested myself and I am satisfied because I know I am going in the right way.”