“I don’t feel undervalued,” says the Bahrain Victorious, who faces his favorite race as an ally of Mikel Landa and after a great start to the year. “Dressing in pink is a dream.”
Martina is born in June and then Pello Bilbao (Gernika, 1990), take a breath. “We are going to have many races, but the birth of a daughter is something that may only happen once in a lifetime. I want to be there,” admits from Budapest a few hours before facing the Giro one of the animators of the national squad, who comes after a start of fireworks course: I won a sprint to alaphilippe in Itzulia and touched the final victory in the Tour of the Alps. It is, along with Mikel Landathe great asset of Bahrain.
- In the Alps, Landa worked for you. How do they face the Giro?
- In principle, the last responsibility for the general falls on Mikel. But we are not going to focus 100% on that either. We have the podium in mind, but along the way we will fight for the stages. We have a complete team, even with Phil Bauhaus for sprints. We don’t want to waste anything, we will run true to our style, aggressively, looking for the race ourselves.
- He did 5 (2020), 6 (2018), won stages. Dream of the podium?
- The jersey is a dream. For me, who has always had a special connection with this race, it would be a great thing. Get dressed in pink, at least for a few days. But it is not an obsession, if it comes, it will come. Arrived safely. I don’t know if it’s worse or better than other times, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.
- What is so special about the Giro?
- I always feel more comfortable competing here. It is a more open race compared to the Tour, without as much control, where the cyclist has more room for improvisation. It is cycling towards the origins. There is more room for surprise, chances of breaking the script, the runner can have more fun.
- Who do you see in the fight?
- There is not as much difference as a Pogacar or a Roglic can make. Its T Yates, is Landa. And above all, carapaz, which brings a very powerful block with the Ineos. I see many possibilities miguel angel lopez: If he is involved in the general classification in the last week, it is very dangerous. Own Almeida be close to taking the jersey in the first week.
- How is your relationship with Landa? Is there a good personal feeling?
- We’ve known each other since we were young. There we compete against each other. Our careers have become intertwined. In amateur we share a team, Naturgas. Later we met again at Euskaltel. Then our paths parted again and we came together again here in Bahrain. We have shared many moments, but always with good harmony and desire to work together. In fact, Landa was one of my motivations to come to Bahrain. I wanted to team up with him, work for him. We are good partners and, as has been seen in the Alps, when he has to pitch in, he is able to do a magnificent job. Just as I have given myself so many times for him. We don’t have any problems and it’s the key to good vibes in our team.
- What is it like to beat Alaphilippe in a sprint?
- It was confidence in my chances and a little bit of anger, because I had already missed the chance to win at home several times. I didn’t want to fail, I was looking for her. He was the most intent that day. That insistence, pursuing him to the end, gave me the chance to believe in myself. You might think that it was not the best option to sprint with Alaphilippe, but it was the only one left after trying it several times. You never know.
- His record is one of the best among the Spanish squad, but he was always in the background in the media. why?
- I don’t feel undervalued. The palmares is there, the people are the ones who judge, who like one runner or another. I don’t run to please the public, I run for my team, I do the job that is required of me. I like that people enjoy our sport, obviously. And I enjoy when I’m involved in garlic, when I’m the protagonist. I am not so satisfied with the result but with how it is obtained. I’m not worried about having more or less recognition.
- Did he get over the disgust of not going to the Games?
- H.H. If I learned anything from that, it is that you should not give excessive importance to a specific career. You shouldn’t be obsessed with something. And it’s not that he thinks of Paris, if he arrives, arrive, calmly. There are many races.
- Where were you when you were 20 years old?
- I did the complete opposite of the kids who are now professionals at 18 or 19 years old. I was on a different wavelength. I really had an exceptional opportunity in front of me, to be professional. But at that time I did not have the mentality of now. So I combined my studies with training, in the morning I went to class and in the afternoon I trained. The diet kept her as she could. Eat many times in the university dining room. Let’s just say my life wasn’t very professional. The transition to professionals came a bit unexpectedly, faster than I thought. Things came easy for me in amateur and I was at the right time and in the right place and I was able to take advantage of the Euskaltel structure ladder. They gave me the opportunity and maybe mentally I was not prepared. It was three years of apprenticeship, but I’m sure I didn’t get the most out of it. Subsequently I have been more aware of where I was and what I really wanted to do. But I don’t regret the path I’ve taken, because I’ve enjoyed every moment, always progressing, always achieving more important achievements. I think that’s what keeps me motivated as a 20-year-old. I don’t know if the kids who achieve everything at 22 years old when they reach 30 or 35 will have the same motivation. I suppose to be complicated. Each one does the road in their own way and I am happy with how I have done it.
- What do you think when Bernal or Pogacar win Tours at the age of 20?
- We are no longer surprised. There are many people who do not need that time of adaptation that others have needed. I don’t know what has really changed, but I see that the young people who pass are more professionalized. They know their sport, they have worked in a more professional way from an early age, they come with the learned trade. Likewise, cycling has changed and adapts better to the characteristics of a young boy. It is not as agonistic or resistant, it is more explosive.
- Physically, can they also pay for it when they are veterans?
- The body can take anything you throw at it as long as you don’t have serious falls or injuries. Alejandro [Valverde] He is stretching his career to 42 years old and it looks like he is holding up physically without any problem. But I see it more in the mental aspect. Getting up every day and training no matter what happens, with the best attitude, with motivation and with the quality that being on a World Tour demands. Measuring all the details, taking care of you, giving up everything that has to be given up. That motivation is what is lost with age. The head can no longer squeeze, reach those limits.
- How were its beginnings?
- I arrived late to the bike, when I was 16 years old. In the family there was no tradition with cycling. S in my grandfather’s, a couple of brothers who dedicated themselves. But it doesn’t come to me. It was thanks to the people of the squad, who compete in the town club, the Gernikesa. I started cycling just to play sports, to pass the time. I liked to try different kinds of sports. He played football, the pelota court, he went to catch waves. They soon saw that he had a level, that he could be competitive.
- And was he good at fronton?
- No. Neither does football. Let’s say that the only place that has hit has been the bike.
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