Carlos Sastre – “My mind, my team, my form...”

“Winning the Tour de France is a dream come true. Above all, it’s a special day for the whole CSC-Saxo Bank team. It was impossible to do this without them. It is extremely motivating to know that all the riders were ready to be at my service. I suffered a lot in this time trial because it was essential that I rode ‘a bloc’ (flat out). I went a little bit slower in the final five kilometers. _ “Ultimately, I grateful because I knew that I was going to keep the yellow jersey. It was very difficult to retain it but still I managed to do it. Now I’m happy because I have a guarantee that it will all end well tomorrow. _ “I’ve prepared better than ever for this race. I arrived at the Tour in the best shape of my career and what has happened is really a dream for every professional. I’m pleased to be a part of the history of the sport with this victory. When I started today I wanted to do a good time trial but if I was able to defend my yellow jersey today it was because of three factors: my mind, my team, my form. _ “At this very moment, I think of Jose Maria Jimenez (his brother-in-law and an ex-professional rider who died in 2003) who is the person who I miss the most.”