, the 2008 Tour de France champion and a 15-year veteran of professional cycling, announced his on Thursday in Madrid, telling reporters that he no longer wished to ride if he can not remain competitive. Sastre, 36, recenlty finished 20th in his home country’s聽 . 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to make cycling into purely an economic issue for me,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 have always wanted to be a professional from the first to the last day. I have known where my limits are.鈥 Riding alongside Frank and Andy Schleck on team CSC-Saxo Bank in 2008, Sastre claimed victory at Tour de France on the back of a up Alpe d鈥橦uez on stage 17. He did not ride in this year’s edition of cycling’s grand tour, but was a driving force behind teammate and fellow Spaniard Juan Jose Cobo’s win at the Vuelta last Sunday.
Read more at