Beloki, Nozal, Galdeano and Jaksche, from the Once team, lead the peloton during the 2002 Tour. /
In 2002, 20 years ago, the American added his fourth victory with Beloki second and Galdeano leading a week
The 2002 Tour started in Luxembourg. Arriving at the press room, the journalists received a stack of tourist pamphlets and some souvenir gifts. Most ended up in the trash. Until someone realized that among those gifts there was a collection with all the euro coins (2, 1, half euro…) that had come into circulation in January of that year. As soon as word got out there was an assault on the bins. In the rich Grand Duchy they gave away real money to celebrate the departure of the Grande Boucle from there. It was the fourth win for Lance Armstrong, who was later disqualified for doping. And it was also the Tour de los Alaveses, with Joseba Beloki, second at the end, and his teammate on the Once team, Igor González de Galdeano, fifth and yellow jersey for a week.
That experience as a leader serves Galdeano today in his performance as CEO of the consulting firm Kirolife, a bridge between sports and business. He has written the book ‘Pedaling towards success’, where he transfers what he has experienced in cycling to the world of work. And one of the chapters is about the 2002 Tour. Before going to that edition of the French round, he prepared himself in the Midi Libre, a short French tour. The man from Alava won the initial time trial with 12 seconds over Armstrong.
The American, who already had three editions of the Tour under his belt, took it as an affront. This is how Galdeano remembers it: «We were the team he feared. He played with the psychological factor and surely thought that if he triumphed in the Midi Libre before starting the Tour he would submit us mentally ». Days later, the man from Vitoria attacked Armstrong on a climb. The reaction of the American left him frozen: «Bastard! You’re not going to get anything.” Galdeano discovered the worst face of his rival. “I couldn’t believe it. The more he repeated it, the more I squeezed and the more he rebuked me. That way of acting was unworthy. He had lost his sportsmanship ». The Texan won that Midi Libre and refused to share the podium with the second and third, Galdeano and Azevedo, both from the Eleven team.
With that open war and without Jan Ullrich, low, the 2002 Tour started from Luxembourg in that European Union that was beginning to move euros. Eleven came with two tricks, Beloki and Galdeano. They won the squad time trial and Galdeano put on the yellow jersey. “I remember the moment of getting on the podium. With the team that had helped me achieve my fantasy. You feel immense pride. What I dreamed of as a child. It was the result of teamwork in capital letters », he recalls. It keeps the sensation, the tingling, of that moment fresh. The loudspeaker thundering: «Nouveau maillot jaune? Igor González de Galdeano !!!». Overwhelmed, he admits that he was not able to fully enjoy himself.
That first night the yellow jersey slept between the beds of Igor and his brother Álvaro. The leadership lasted seven stages. Armstrong, always on the prowl, dethroned Alava at La Mongie. Before, Galdeano lived with an added mental weight. Manolo Saiz, responsible for Eleven, had chosen to follow Beloki in a time trial despite the fact that he was still the leader of the Tour. “It was very difficult for me to accept his decision.”
Attack on the Ventoux
With Armstrong already in command, the French round reached the Mont Ventoux stage. Temple. Beloki was second in the general classification and Galdeano, third. The fans and the press demanded attacks. Attack Armstrong? It seemed like an impossible mission. In an interview in ‘El earpiece’, Beloki acknowledges that he “never” had the option of beating the American despite “having the best team on the Tour.” “In hand-to-hand it was impossible,” he confesses. Even so, he tried it on the Ventoux to Galdeano’s surprise.
Ten kilometers from the top, Saiz gave the order: “Beloki, attack!” Galdeano got close to his partner and calmed him down. “Still!”. Saiz’s voice, pissed off, insisted: «Beloki, mecagüen la pu… I said to attack!». According to Galdeano, Armstrong had everything under control. Beloki obeyed and fired twice. He almost burst. Armstrong ran over him. “It almost took my stickers off,” Beloki rewinds. “It was one of the most difficult moments for me.” The two from Alava gave in. About to lose everything.
Galdeano faced Saiz at the finish line. “This is one of the worst tactics I’ve ever seen in my life!” he blurted out. Saiz prohibited him from giving interviews. A day later everything healed with a hug. Eleven was a family, but he couldn’t even with Armstrong, a rival who physically crushed and psychologically harassed his supposed enemies. Beloki saw the American like this: “I was facing a guy who was better than me in all areas.” From that Tour that launched the euro, he took the silver medal and Galdeano, a collection of yellow jerseys and experiences that he now applies in the business world.
