体坛英语新闻：Spanish cycling captain: Tour will leave us in shape for Olympics

MADRID, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Jose Luis de Santos, the captain of the Spanish cycling team at the London Olympic Games says that the fact the men's Olympic Road race is taking place less than a week after the end of the grueling Tour de France will only have a positive effect on his country's team.

Spain are taking a powerful five man team to London with reigning Olympic Champion, Samuel Sanchez, accompanied by Alejendro Valverde, Luis Leon Sanchez, Jose Luis Rojas and five times World Champion, Oscar Freire.

It is a balanced team with Rojas and Freire capable of winning a sprint finish at the end of the 260 kilometer race, while Sanchez, Valverde and Leon-Sanchez have a fast finish and the ability to punch up short climbs and win from the sort of reduced group that is likely to enter the Mall for at the end of the race.

"The five riders are in good form and well known with a lot of prestige and experience, but it is hard to say who is going to win in London," De Santos told Xinhua on Monday.

A former rider with Miguel Indurain's Banesto squad in the 1990's De Santos was able to explain that in an event such as the Olympic road race, the best sprinter does not always win.

"Luck plays a part and with the team limited to five men (as opposed to nine in the Tour de France) it is hard to control escapes and impossible for a team to fully control the race. It is easier to control last year's World Championships (which were ridden on a predominantly flat course in Copenhagen and won by British sprinter Mark Cavendish), but with just five riders, it is hard to control the race and that means it will be easier for a small group to reach the finish line ahead of the rest."

De Santos looked at the talents of his team, indicating they should all be able to tackle the short sharp climb of Box Hill, which looks as if it could be a key part of the Olympic Road race.

The Box hill climb of around 180 meters will be ridden nine times and sees the riders climb 120 meters in 2.5 kilometers. Although the five percent gradient is not that steep, it will sap the legs of some of the purer sprinters in the bunch.

"Ours are the sort of riders who defend well on that sort of hill and who are also able to get into escapes. They are fast in small groups and all know who to climb," said De Santos, who highlighted the motivation of three-time world champion Oscar Freire.

"He is still very fast and reads the end of a race very well. He also has the extra motivation as he is ending the end of his career (Freire is 36-years old) and he has the extra motivation to retire with an Olympic medal or a fourth World title."

De Santos added that the Tour de France, which ends after three draining weeks the Sunday before the Olympic Road race, should not be a handicap for the Spanish.

"Our riders have shown that the Tour leaves then in good shape. It leaves them a bit extra fit and they know they will be in good condition in the following races. Some riders, such as (Belgian) Tom Boonen are not riding the Tour this year, but we think it will leave us in good form," he explained to Xinhua.

Finally De Santos admitted that the suspension handed to Alberto Contrador for his positive clembuterol test in the 2010 Tour had denied Spain a possible medal option.

"Alberto is a great rider and a great time-trial rider and he would have been in great shape after the Tour and done a great time trial, but it will be hard against the specialists, Fabian Cancellara, Bradley Wiggins and Tony Martin," he admitted.