COPENHAGEN, September 5, 2008 (AFP) - Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre confirmed on Friday he has quit the Danish CSC team to join Canadian outfit Cervelo.

The 33-year-old Spaniard has spent seven years with CSC but has opted to ride for the new Canadian side from next season.

'Everything in life has a beginning and an end, and for my future I want to find a new motivation to enjoy cycling,' he said on his personal website.

'This is one of the most important reasons why I decided to join the Cervelo project.'

CSC team director Bjarne Riis said: 'Obviously I would have liked to keep Carlos but I respect that he has several objectives to achieve with his new team.'

Sastre is currently fifth in the Tour of Spain which ends on September 21.