“What time do the cyclists pass?” Was the question most frequently asked by the Irundarras this morning. It was a special morning. Not every day your city welcomes the exit of the Back to Spain, yes, partly clouded by the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic that have not prevented people from taking to the streets to support the Roglic, Carapaz, Valverde, Froome, and company.
That has been the plan of friends Martín Muguruza and Juanjo Carrillo. They were both in the Paseo Colón on the corner with Pikoketa street. His intention was clear: To see the cyclists on the main avenue of Irun and then go up to one of the most emblematic streets of the city, Calle Mayor: “Once they leave Irun it is an illusion to see them pass”, he explained Cheek.
His friend put the counterpoint: «For now, we know that he will be able to leave, see if the race can end», He recalled in clear reference to the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, this year the Irundarras have also run out of the Behobia-San Sebastián, one of the emblematic events that crowd the streets of the city. At least the passage of the cycling peloton has mitigated this pain: “We try to take advantage of what little there is,” Muguruza acknowledged.
Gallery.
The Tour of Spain, by Irun /
The point that has gathered the most public has been the Calle Mayor where shows parade every June 30. This year some of the best cyclists in the professional peloton have taken over from the shotguns and people have come to applaud the athletes as they pass through the ‘pavé (cobblestone) irundarra’. «This year we have been left with nothing, without Show and without parties in the neighborhood. What little there is we have to take advantage of“Koldo Susperregi, a resident of Calle Mayor Irundarra, consoled himself.
The anecdote of the day has also been lived in the Main Street. Just before the cycling platoon passed, at 1:00 p.m. sharp the bollards that prevent vehicles from accessing that area of Irun have been raised, which has caused the caravan of cars to have to stop until an agent Municipal Police has managed to lower it. The curious touch of the morning.
For many, what has been experienced in Irun has been «the cycling party», As Guillermo Sendon has defined it, who has also witnessed the passing of the platoon on Paseo Colón. “I see myself all cycling and it is an illusion that I go out so close to home.”
The organization of the Return He had asked the public to cheer from home but the Irundarras have not been able to resist going out on the street and applauding from home. Leoncia Martín and her granddaughters were in a privileged place. They had been placed in front of the City Hall sheltered from the rain. But they had to leave for safety: “It seemed too good to be here,” he lamented. “We want to see the runners but they have told us we have to go, so we go and go.”
After a few minutes of waiting, the most special moment has arrived after 1:10 p.m. when the peloton has appeared by the San Juan square. The neutralized start has favored that the public have been able to see the cyclists at a lower rate than the competition, so they have had the opportunity to even encourage them by name. A luxury in this special year.
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