One of my favourite sporting evens starts on July 7th - I am tipping a Sastre/McEwen Double this year. Speaking of Sastre, CSC have announced their squad

O'Grady in as Sastre leads CSC's yellow jersey bid

Fri 29 Jun, 11:15 PM

PARIS (AFP) - Spanish all rounder Carlos Sastre will spearhead the CSC team's bid for yellow jersey glory at the Tour de France, the team confirmed on Friday.

Sastre, who finished fourth overall last year, will have the support of Luxembourg's Frank Schleck, Spaniard Inigo Cuesta and American David Zabriskie when the July 7-29 race heads up into the high mountains.

Swiss time trial specialist Fabian Cancellara is a big favourite for the opening day prologue, while Austrlian Stuart O'Grady, who succeeded Cancellara as Paris-Roubaix champion earlier this season, is likely to play a 'super-domestique' role - and grab a stage win if he gets the opportunity.

O'Grady has already worn the race's fabled yellow jersey, and so has Zabriskie and German workhorse Jens Voigt.

"It may sound like a cliche, but again this year we have had the luxury in the fact that we have so many strong riders, who would be able to do well in Tour de France," said team manager Kim Andersen.

"We have tried to select a broad group of riders in order to make our mark throughout the entire race. In this way we will be able to make a difference in the general classification and at the same time we also have riders, who will be able to go for stage wins in all kinds of terrain.

"In Sastre and Schleck we have two great contenders for the general classification and of course we will be putting up a fight for the first yellow leader's jersey in London."

It is still uncertain whether team owner and manager Bjarne Riis, the 1997 race winner, will attend this year's race.

Riis recently admitted he had used the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) during his career.

Late Friday, none of the CSC team had officially signed the UCI's landmark anti-doping charter, which is a pre-requisite for Tour participation.

Team

Kurt-Asle Arvesen (NOR), Fabian Cancellara (SUI), Inigo Cuesta (ESP), Stuart O'Grady (AUS), Carlos Sastre (ESP), Frank Schleck (LUX), Christian Vandevelde (USA), Jens Voigt (GER), David Zabriskie (USA)