A Canadian didn't win the Tour de France, but a Canadian bike did. Carlos Sastre won the prestigious event Sunday, becoming the third Spainish rider to win the event in a row.
Sastre's team - CSC -- uses Cervelo Cycles, a 13-year-old company based out of Toronto.
It was the first time in the race's 95-year history that the winner used a Canadian bike.
Phil White, co-owner of Cervelo Cycles spoke to CTV Newsnet Sunday from Paris. He said when he and his business partner started their operation they wrote down their goals, one of which was to have one of their bikes win the Tour de France.
"We've really worked for it and it's been a long, hard slog," White said. "You just got to believe in yourself . . . with a bit of luck, things come true."
White said he spoke to Sastre after the race and said the Spaniard was "phenomenally excited."
The race was the second closest in Tour history as Sastre won by only 58 seconds.
"It was a very dramatic last few days," White said.
White said he expected the win would benefit Cervelo but he said his operation has been a "pretty high-growth company all along."
He said that the high-tech bike that Sastre used is fairly close to the one that a regular consumer would buy from his company.
More scandal
Minutes after the race ended, it was announced a cyclist from Kazakhstan used a banned stimulant.
Dmitriy Fofonov tested positive for a `very heavy dose' of heptaminol after Thursday's 18th stage, Pierre Bordry, the head of France's anti-doping agency, told the Associated Press. Fofonov was immediately fired from his team.
The doping bust was the fourth this tour.
With files from The Associated Press
