Throughout the last half century, Ángel Toña (Ondarroa, 1952) has alternated various professions: labor lawyer during the Transition, professor, dean at the University of Deusto, counselor of the Basque Government, manager of a graphic arts company, consultant or mediator in social conflicts. But what he has always been, during all this time, is a cyclist. “I am passionate about cycling and, at 69 years old, I continue pedaling with the same enthusiasm or more than the first day.”
– Where does your passion for this world come from?
– My father organized cycling races in the middle of the last century. At the age of 12 he gave me a bicycle because the doctors told him that asthma would end up destroying me if I did not practice an endurance sport.
– And since then it hasn’t stopped.
– Exactly. I have finished last several times in the Bearded Vulture, even once out of control, but the important thing is not to compete, but to enjoy. As a child, on many occasions I could not follow the group, but I have never cared; I think of cycling as fun and as a way of life. If it has taught me something, it is that you have to be insistent and tenacious. The bicycle has carved out an iron will for me, valid for all aspects of existence.
– In the 80s you decide to launch a magazine that soon became a success.
– With ‘Ciclismo a Fondo’ we wanted to fill a gap that existed in the publishing world by recounting the great feats of professional cycling. It was a beautiful time.
– Now come back with a totally different bet.
– The pandemic caused me to pedal many hours alone, on the roller, in the living room at home. It is a long time to think. Then I attended the de-escalation and I said to myself that we had to tell about all this phenomenon that we were experiencing, with people focused on sports and nearby leisure. We have removed the mask and started pedaling. We have exchanged bars for nature. Bicycles are out of stock in many stores, which make more sense than ever. It is being a radical and very fast change. A new world has opened in these three axes: sustainable mobility, leisure and tourism. I synthesize it in moving, enjoying and discovering. The moment is now and we are going to tell about it.
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