When you say the Basque Country, you say enthusiastic (and chauvinistic) cycling fans and rain. Both sauces were lavishly poured over the team presentation in Bilbao.
Any cyclist born in the Basque Country or who has done anything in the region has been hailed as a folk hero.
Those who have not yet done so – like Mathieu van der Poel – were subtly reminded of the glorious past, for example by referring to the victories of father Adrie or grandfather Raymond Poulidor in the Basque Country.
The Basque cycling heroes of yesteryear were also performed. Five-time Tour winner Miguel Indurain was even allowed to have his say on the podium.
But the real stars were of course the riders of today. Bahrain Victorious was the first to present itself. They – literally – stopped to think about the death of their teammate Gino Mäder.
Then the other teams followed each other in rapid succession, interspersed with a musical intermezzo or a colorful dance group. Top teams UAE, with Tadej Pogacar, and Jumbo-Visma, with a popular Wout van Aert and title defender Jonas Vingegaard were saved until the last.
With a local women’s group as a conclusion, the bridge was built to the Tour de France Femmes, which will start on the final day of the Tour with the men. Now it’s just a countdown to the start in Bilbao on Saturday.
