Sastre calls it quits

Former Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre has announced his retirement from cycling after 15 years as a professional rider.

Former Tour winner announces retirement from cycling

Former Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre has announced his retirement from cycling after 15 years as a professional rider. The 36-year-old Spaniard, who won the Tour in 2008, has struggled to regain his best form after winning two stages at the Giro d'Italia over two years ago. He has spent 2011 riding for Geox-TMC, finishing 20th at the Vuelta a Espana while helping team-mate Juan Jose Cobo take overall victory. "The moment has arrived to bring this cycle to its close. Next year I will begin a new stage, even though I am not sure what I will do," Sastre said. He added: "Having the Vuelta winner with me and seeing my team win was the best culmination to my career." As well as his Tour win, which was achieved with a solo attack on Alpe d'Huez, Sastre also finished third in the race in 2006 and has been on the podium three times at the Vuelta and once at the Giro. He stated that he did not want to ride on purely for money while knowing that his best days were behind him. "I took the decision last year," said Sastre, who completed all three Grand Tours in the same year on two different occasions. "I didn't want to make cycling into purely an economic issue for me. I have always wanted to be a professional from the first to the last day. I have known where my limits are."