Tadej Pogačar had done his homework. The Slovenian is a showman at heart, and strode onto the stage at the Tour de France team presentation with a Basque phrase in his head.
“Aupa Bilbao,” the 24-year-old said. “Aupa Athletic. Gora Euskadi.”
Come on Bilbao. Come on Athletic. Long live the Basque Country.
The six words caused pandemonium outside the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Pogačar’s moment of charm working wonders on the thoroughly sodden crowd. He become an honorary Basque in that moment.
Switch on any bike race in the world, and one of the first things you see will be a red, white, and green flag, a bit like the Union Jack put through a funny wash. This is the ikurrina, the flag of the Basque Country, and it is present at every bike race because the people of this small nation love cycling.
It is seemingly in their blood. The Grand Départ of the Tour de France from Bilbao gave fans the opportunity to show their support at home, rather than travelling the world. Outside the chaos of the stage one village were stalls selling the ikurrina to expectant fans; to say they were popular would be an understatement, with the flag pedlars claiming to have sold 20,000 on Saturday morning alone.
The passion for cycling is everywhere. Just standing outside a bar in Bilbao, an old man spots my Tour de France lanyard and immediately starts talking about the glory days of Spanish or Basque cycling, telling tales of Grand Tour protagonists Miguel María Lasa, Francisco Galdós and Domingo Perurena.
Bu hikaye Cycling Weekly dergisinin July 06, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Cycling Weekly dergisinin July 06, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
"We tore around the Sydney suburbs at 60kph in a terrifying, feral pack"
Fast, furious and furry tales from Australia
RIDDEN AND REVIEWED BROMPTON G LINE £2,499
A Brompton for running riot in both town and country
How do different gravel conditions impact your tyre choice?
There are a myriad of tyres on the market but selecting the right one is easier than you think
FEAST OF SWEDEN
Soon after landing in Gothenburg, I began to realise how little I knew about Sweden.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRAVEL EVENTS
Globe-trotting gravel racer Joe Laverick chooses his eight favourite events, from coastal Wales to the wilds of Kenya
THE CALL OF THE WILD
Tempted to embark on a long-distance bike adventure? Let former round-the-world record holder and author Julian Sayarer inspire you to strike out and hit the road
Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes
Cornish team also alleged to owe former staff tens of thousands of pounds
JOE LAVERICK GETTING INTO THE FEED ZONE
I've ridden through hundreds of feed zones in my time racing a bike.
Lowden not ready to stop after retirement
Former Hour record holder eyes UK time trial scene
Pogačar makes history (again) at Lombardia
Slovenian makes it four in a row at the late-season Italian Monument
