Carlos Sastre, 33, won the 2008 Tour de France on Sunday after leading the race for the final five stages following a solo victory in the 17th stage to L’Alpe d’Huez.

Sastre was victorious over Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) of Australia by 58 seconds and by 1 minute and 13 seconds over Bernard Kohl (Gerolsteiner) of Austria.

Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Chipotle) of Boulder, Colo., was fifth overall, trailing Sastre by 3:15. Vande Velde led four U.S. finishers, which included George Hincapie (Columbia) who placed 35th overall and finished the race for the 12th time.

A field of 180 riders from 20 teams began the race July 5 in Brest. There were 145 finishers.

Sastre, who had not previously higher than fourth overall in the Tour de France, signed his first professional contract in 1997 with the Spanish team ONCE.

In his five years at ONCE, Sastre mostly served as a domestique and only managed a few wins. In 2002 he switched to CSC, where he filled the role of captain in the Vuelta a España and, until 2005, had a free role in the Tour de France.

This resulted in the win of the 13th stage of the 2003 Tour de France, which Sastre won with a pacifier in his mouth, as a greeting to his infant daughter. Sastre finished 2:32 minutes ahead of team captain Tyler Hamilton on the stage.

Days before the 2006 Tour de France started in July, Team CSC suspended Ivan Basso as his name was brought up in the Operación Puerto doping case. This meant Sastre became the Team CSC team captain at the 2006 Tour. Even though his main focus for the season had been the 2006 Vuelta a España in September, the Tour was a great opportunity for Sastre to prove himself as Tour GC contender.

Sastre was considered one of the favorites to win the 2008 Tour de France. Sastre had a quiet, understated opening to the tour. After a lackluster opening time-trial, he remained relatively restrained in the opening mountain stages in the Pyrenees and opted to stay defensive and follow the wheel of his main rivals.

This allowed his CSC teammate Fränk Schleck to claim the yellow jersey at the finish to stage 15 at Prato Nevoso. However, going into the crucial 17th sta
ge culminating at the 21 hairpin climb up to Alpe d'Huez, it was Sastre who showed his class and strength. He attacked at the bottom of this famous climb away from the main general classification contenders and overhauled his deficits to claim the stage and the yellow jersey.

Sastre's victory capped an exceptional 2008 tour for the Danish Team CSC Saxo Bank. CSC also won the young rider classification with Andy Schleck and the overall team classification.

The third straight Spanish winner of the Tour de France, Sastre was added to the Spanish Olympic cycling team earlier this week and will join compatriots Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne), Oscar Freire (Rabobank), Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Alberto Contador (Astana), winner of this year's Giro d'Italia and the 2007 Tour de France.

Sastre will replace of Oscar Pereiro on the Spanish Olympic team who crashed out of the Tour on stage 15 and underwent surgery for a broken arm.

Stage 21 Top 10 Results

1. Gert Steegmans (BEL), Quick Step, 3 hours 51 minutes, 38 seconds.
2. Gerald Ciolek (GER), Team Columbia, same time.
3. Oscar Freire (ESP), Rabobank, s.t.
4. Robbie McEwen (AUS), Silence-Lotto, s.t.
5. Thor Hushovd (NOR), Credit Agricole, s.t.
6. Julian Dean (NZL), Garmin-Chipotle, s.t.
7. Stefan Schumacher (GER), Gerolsteiner, s.t.
8. Robert Forster (GER), Gerolsteiner, s.t.
9. Fabio-Leonardo Duque (COL), Cofidis, s.t.
10. Robert Hunter (RSA), Barloworld, s.t.

Final Top-10 Results/U.S Riders’ Finishes

1. Carlos Sastre (ESP), CSC, 87 hours 52 minutes, 52 seconds
2. Cadel Evans (AUS), Silence-Lotto 58 seconds behind
3. Bernhard Kohl (AUT), Gerolsteiner, 1 minute, 13 seconds behind
4. Denis Menchov (RUS), Rabobank 2:10 behind
5. Christian Vande Velde (USA), Garmin-Chipotle at 3:05 behind.
6. Frank Schleck (LUX), CSC 4:28 behind.
7. Samuel Sanchez (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 6:25 behind.
8. Kim Kirchen (LUX), Team Columbia, 6:55 behind.
9. Alejandro Valverde (ESP), Caisse d'Epargne, 7:12 behind.
10. Tadej Valjavec (SLO), Ag2r, 9:05 behind.
11. Vladimir Efimkin (RUS), Ag2r, 9:55 behind
35. George Hincapie (USA), Team Columbia, 1 hour, 8 minutes, 15 seconds behind.
36. Matteo Carrara (ITA), Quick Step, 1:09:25 behind.
95. Danny Pate (USA), Garmin-Chipotl, 2:36:29 behind
133. Will Frischkorn (USA), Garmin-Chipotle, 3:30:47 behind