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Reaching his peak Casero upbeat heading into Spain's mountains
ZARAGOZA, Spain (Reuters) -- Spain's Angel Casero, leader in the Tour of Spain, is optimistic he can fight off the aggressive challenge of Roberto Heras and his Kelme team and claim the first tour victory of his career. "I'm now at the peak of my sporting career and I desperately want to win this tour," said the 27-year-old on taking the leader's gold jersey for the second day in succession. The Festina rider was Spanish champion in 1998 and 1999 and came fifth in last year's Tour de France, but he wants to avoid the label of a "might-have-been." "I am much more ambitious than I was before and I don't want to be just satisfied with being classed as a rider with a great deal of promise," he told reporters. Casero leads the tour by one minute 15 seconds from specialist climber Roberto Heras, who was fifth in this year's Tour de France and is determined to pressure the Festina rider in the mountain stages that begin on Saturday. Heras' strategy is to attack in the mountains of northern Spain and establish a lead of at least two minutes by the time the riders reach the last stage in Madrid. Both riders know that Casero is the better time trialist and will be able to cover the 36.8 km course a couple of minutes faster than the Kelme rider. "I feel in good shape," said Casero. "But I realize that there are still some very tough stages to come. The Kelme team are very strong in the mountains." "But I came out of the Pyrenees feeling strong and I know I can defend my lead." Although the Festina team is short of cover following the retirement of two of their riders, Casero does have the advantage of being fresher than Heras and his teammates. He was injured at the beginning of the season and had to abandon the Tour de France after a fall -- so far this season he has covered about half the distance of the Kelme riders. "As each day passes Casero is showing signs of being stronger and more motivated," said Festina team director Juan Fernandez. "It is clear he wants to win this Tour." Friday is a rest day for the riders, but ahead lie the challenges of the legendary climbs to the Lagos de Covadonga and Alto de L'Angliru. It is in those key stages that this year's Tour is likely to be won and lost. Organizers fear prostitutes may disrupt time trialMADRID -- Organizers of the Tour of Spain are concerned prostitutes on the route of the final stage in Madrid could disrupt the finish, according to a report in Spanish newspaper El Pais on Friday. The Tour is due to end with a 38-km individual time trial around Madrid on 17 September, with the route involving a circuit of the city's biggest park, the Casa de Campo. It is here on the roads that criss-cross the park that several hundred prostitutes ply their trade. Madrid's local authorities and Unipublic, the organizers of the Tour, are concerned about the image of the city that could be projected by large numbers of prostitutes lining the route. "They could upset the concentration of the competitors and give a negative image of Madrid as the race will be televised all over Spain," a municipal spokesman told El Pais. A spokesman from Unipublic confirmed the organizers' concerns. "Seeing prostitutes along the length of the route isn't exactly showing the best side of Madrid, especially if they aren't wearing many clothes." The prostitutes said they believed that there would be little disruption to the event. "In any case at the time of day when the race is going to be held there aren't many clients," one prostitute told the paper.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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