Carlos Sastre wants the Tour de France

On Sunday, 27 July, current overall leader Carlos Sastre is one of the big favourites to win the 2008 Tour de France.

If Sastre succeeds, it will be the third straight Spanish overall win in the Tour de France, all by different riders. In 2006 and 2007, Óscar Pereiro and Alberto Contador won the Tour de France respectively.

It would then be the seventh time in Tour de France history that one country has had three different winners in three successive years.

According to Infostrada, France hold the record with five different winners in the first five Tour de France editions.

Most different riders from same country to win consecutive Tour de France editions

# Nation / Era / Riders


5 France 1903-1907 Maurice Garin, Henri Cornet, Louis Trousselier, René Pottier, Lucien Petit-Breton
3 Belgium 1919-1921 Firmin Lambot, Philippe Thys, Léon Scieur
3 Belgium 1920-1922 Philippe Thys, Léon Scieur, Firmin Lambot
3 France 1931-1933 Antonin Magne, André Leducq, Georges Speicher
3 France 1932-1934 André Leducq, Georges Speicher, Antonin Magne
3 France 1955-1957 Louison Bobet, Roger Walkowiak, Jacques Anquetil


On Wednesday, 23 July, Carlos Sastre claimed the yellow jersey after he won stage 17 of the 2008 Tour de France finishing at L’Alpe-d’Huez.

Sastre is already the seventh different rider to lead the Tour this year.
The record for most overall leaders in a single Tour de France edition is eight (in 1958 and 1987).

Most overall leaders per Tour de France edition

Year / Leaders / Rider (# yellow jerseys)


1958 8 Favero (ITA) 6, Darrigade (FRA) 5, Geminiani (FRA) 4, Voorting (NED) 3, Van Est (NED) 2, Gaul (LUX) 2, Hoevenaars (BEL) 1, Bauvin (FRA) 1
1987 8 Maechler (SUI) 7, Mottet (FRA) 6, Delgado (ESP) 4, Roche (IRL) 3, Piasecki (POL) 2, Gayant (FRA) 2, Nijdam (NED) 1, Bernard (FRA) 1
2008 7 Evans (AUS) 5, Kirchen (LUX) 4, Valverde (ESP) 2, Schumacher (GER) 2, F. Schleck (LUX) 2, Sastre (ESP) 2, Feillu (FRA) 1
1949 7 Marinelli (FRA) 6, Magni (ITA) 6, Coppi (ITA) 5, Dussault (FRA) 1, Lambrecht (BEL) 1, Callens (BEL) 1, Bartali (ITA) 1
1951 7 Koblet (SUI) 11, Levêque (FRA) 6, Diederich (LUX) 3, Rossi (SUI) 1, Biagioni (ITA) 1, Van Est (NED) 1, Bauvin (FRA) 1
1962 7 Planckaert (BEL) 7, Altig (FRG) 4, Darrigade (FRA) 4, Schroeders (BEL) 3, Anquetil (FRA) 3, Geldermans (NED) 2, Simpson (ENG) 1
1968 7 Van den Berghe (BEL) 12, Van Springel (BEL) 6, Grosskost (FRA) 3, Wolfshohl (FRG) 2, Genet (FRA) 1, San Miguel (ESP) 1, Janssen (NED) 1
1978 7 Bruyère (BEL) 8, Raas (NED) 4, Zoetemelk (NED) 4, Hinault (FRA) 3, Thaler (FRG) 2, Knetemann (NED) 2, Bossis (FRA) 1
1986 7 Lemond (USA) 7, Pedersen (DEN) 5, Hinault (FRA) 5, Marie (FRA) 3, Van der Velde (NED) 2, Stieda (CAN) 1, Gaigne (FRA) 1
1998 7 Pantani (ITA) 7, Ullrich (GER) 6, O'Grady (AUS) 3, Boardman (ENG) 2, Desbiens (FRA) 2, Zabel (GER) 1, Hamburger (DEN) 1
2006 7 Pereiro (ESP) 7, Boonen (BEL) 4, Gontchar (UKR) 3, Landis (USA) 3, Hushovd (NOR) 2, Hincapie (USA) 1, Dessel (FRA) 1