PEZ Roadside St.15: Boonen just laughs at my opening gambit; "Tom! You look great! Your tan is perfect!" After all the QuickStep man is one of the greatest riders on the planet, he's also a nice guy. PEZ was at the start of stage 15, Cudillero to Ponferada to get rider reaction to two tough days - the Angliru on Saturday and San Isidoro on Sunday.
Tom tells us: "The Angliru is something every professional should experience at least once in his career, not every year, but at least once. With everyone on tiny gears - I was on 34 x 28 - it's not possible for big time gaps to open up, so it doesn't have a huge effect on the overall, but it's a great experience"
And the Worlds? "Yes! I'm very happy with my form; I will ride today and two more stages then go home to make final preparations for Varese. The next three stages will be for breakaways, I think. It would be possible to control them and have them end in sprints, but results are not the ambition; preparation for the Worlds is what I am here for."
Nicolas Roche (CA) was lying an excellent 14th overall at 19-31, when we spoke to him at Cudillero; "the Angliru was a fantastic experience; it was hard all day long, a quick tempo and I had to battle hard for position on the second last climb to make sure I was in the right place for the approach to Angliru."
Was there a plan for the Angliru?; "Plans are all very well, but it eventually comes down to following the other guys. The Angliru is a difficult climb, the gradient keeps changing so there are a lot of gear changes; my lowest gear was 34 x 27. You're in the saddle, out of the saddle, sprinting some parts and then trying to recover on other parts. I was feeling OK until around two-and-a-half kilometres to go, then it was just a case of getting to the finish."
How was San Isidoro, yesterday?; "I felt empty before the start, I just wasn't sure of my recovery after the Angliru stage and thought that I would go with the early break, so that if I slipped back, it would be from the break, not through the peloton, which would have been very bad for morale. As it was, I didn't make the break but after the feed, I started to feel better and as I ate more food, I could feel my strength coming back. The San Isidoro was a beautiful climb, it was nice countryside, you're conscious of that because you're always looking ahead to see what's coming up; I rode it at a pretty steady tempo (Nicolas was 19th on the stage at 1-59)."
And from here to Madrid? "I'm very happy with my current placing, top ten is nine minutes away, but if I can stay top twenty, I'll be happy. The trouble is that there will be a lot of breaks going over the next days and guys who are a few minutes behind me may start to over take me on GC, but I'll keep my fingers crossed."
Hard to believe though it is, Nicolas's CA team folds at the end of this year, but the ink is long dry on his contract with AG2R for 2009.
Nicolas's former British elite road champion and GP Plouay winner team mate, Jezza Hunt has a new team for 2009, but we're sworn to secrecy on which one.
Jez was recovering from a day when he had a bad tummy and; "suffered like a bastard on the Isidoro!" So, maybe he wasn't quite as chatty as we'd expected. We reminded him that the last time we'd pestered him was back at Het Volk; "that's a long time ago! I started the Angliru in the grupetto, but was dropped and rode it on my own; it's actually better that way - you get more pushes! Up until yesterday, when I had my stomach problems, I was feeling good, I'm hoping to be feeling better today and I'll be looking for the opportunity to get in a break between now and Madrid. I have the Franco Belge and Paris-Tours coming up, then I'm going back to be with my missus in Australia for the winter."
Our first three interviews had no language barriers, but for our final chat of the morning, we had a lot of asking around to do to be able to communicate with our man.
Despite the fact he's in a "Spanish" equipo, they actually speak Galician to each other on the team bus.
The squad, Xacobeo-Galicia is sponsored by that Region and the team's title is the Galicean name for the "Way of Saint James," the ancient pilgrims route from France through the Pyrenees to the Galician capital of Santiago de Compostella. Thousands travel the route each year, bringing much needed revenues to Spain's most north westerly tip.
Ezequiel Mosquera isn't a name you'll be too familiar with, but it's all the world's strongest teams can do to keep the quiet Galician under control. He's fourth at 4-35, only 56 seconds behind Sastre on GC. He was the man doing all the damage on the San Isidoro and in some quarters there was a feeling that Astana should have let him have the stage.
With the aid of Galicia-Xacobeo's fitness coach, Guillermo Rodriguez Carbduido we managed a few questions from the tanned, laid back man with the look of a trawlerman, who has Carlos Sastre looking anxiously over his shoulder; "I felt very strong on the Angliru, but I ran out of drink towards the end of the stage and was very tired by the top. On the San Isidoro I tried to win the stage and show what I am really capable of. I think it is possible to get on the podium, but Sastre is a very strong rider and it will be difficult."
We finished our chat with Ezequiel and said our "thank yous," just as the troops began to mass for the attack.
Contador was chatting like he rides - animatedly; Bettini was munching a roll and dispensing banter; Zabel and Kloden were chatting and smiling (wow!); Bruz posed; Valverde yawned and Cunego managed a grin or two.
Pez, meanwhile heads east, out of Asturias into Cantabria and a date with our flights home from Bilbao in the Basque country tomorrow, but not before:
Santillana and the 'Café 2000' - despite having been in Spain since Thursday, we've not seen one minute of the Vuelta on TV.
Davie negotiates with the owner that if we can watch the Vuelta at 4.00 pm, we'll buy large quantities of beer, coffee and tortilla - a bargain is struck and soon Pedro Delgado's happy face is on the big screen.
First up we have Alvaro Pino, our boy Zeke's DS, I'm no Spanish speaker, but the jist seems to be that Astana should have let his rider take the stage.
Cut to Johan Bruyneel, puffing out his cheeks and looking uncomfortable with the questions - yes, I think I've got that translation right!
'Directo,' says the screen, and we're live. There are maybe 12 up the road and 50 K to go. José Luis Arrieta goes for AG2R, it's too far, but maybe the DS has VIP's on the race and needs TV time?
I'll get into trouble from Al Hamilton for saying this, but the crowds are sparse. The nature of Spain however, is that much of the population lives on the coastal fringe. The central high plateau - on which Madrid sits as the highest capital city in Europe - is sparsely populated.
Drive from Barcelona on the north east coast to Madrid in the centre and apart from the city of Zaragoza, you'll only pass a couple of one horse towns - and that's around 500 kilometres.
Arrieta gets caught, Arroyo counters for Caisse; former 'super star in the making' Nick Nuyens of Cofidis reacts and suddenly it's a bike race, but it's too late for most of Café 2000's customers and we have the big monitor to ourselves.
David Garcia Dapena from our chums at Xacobeo-Galicia times it just right, jumping Nuyens, Arroyo and another man from a big team, QuickStep's Garate, to get the gap.
They look at each other and feint; they're all tired, so is the Galician, but there's the red kite and this isn't just a stage win back in Galicia - this is the stuff of legend.
He kisses his wedding ring as he freewheels in; our barmaid can hardly contain her excitement - she's dusting the shelves.
Time to head back to the autopista and Bilbao.
Like the song says, we've had; "the time of our lives," we hope we gave you at least a little flavour of the Vuelta.
Thank you for reading, and until next time - adios amigos.
Roadside St. 14 When you start each new Giro you understand you’re a year older. You feel a stranger to the village approach and for a moment ... More....
Professional cycling has, over the years, attracted only a few documentary film makers. A few, such as Jorgen Leth’s “A Sunday in Hell,” have even ... More....
I’m just digging out from a few days at the BMC training camp, and while I won’t be reporting on doing Jaeger-bombs and Redbulls with Cadel & George, ... More....
As the final Madison got underway the arena was packed to the rafters, all the talk of Six Days in crisis forgotten for now. The finale was ... More....
Six Day racing comes to Berlin for the 99th time on Thursday, 28th January, 2010 with the great tradition of winter track racing in Germany in a ... More....
American Classic spent the last couple of years reworking their line up and the 420 Aeros are the latest to leave the bench. Take a look at the new ... More....
A couple years in the making, Pez head up to see arguably the top custom builder on the planet. We hit Serotta's NY shop, take a peek at their ... More....
You’ve still got today and all of tomorrow to ‘git ‘er done! Your holiday shopping that is… and armed with the complete set of 4 gift guides ... More....
If the stocking's not full - somebody's not doing their job. Good thing we're here to help with a big ol' bag full of the kind of stuff we'd love to ... More....
Winter riding is almost upon us - except for you lucky Aussies - and that means less riding outdoors. But with an indoor trainer and a Netflix ... More....
Many ergogenic aids, both legal and illegal, have been touted as the magic bullet that will improve cycling performance. What about something that ... More....
Having goals is one of the important first steps in achieving your dreams. They can be small goals or they can be big goals, but without them you’ll ... More....
Is cycling your religion, or at least one of them? If so, you’re not alone. Many people define themselves as “spiritual,” even if they don’t practice ... More....
Post-Giro Roadside: I love Scotland; but there’s no Gazzetta in the morning, most of the coffee tastes like John Wayne brewed it beside the ... More....
Sunday July 20th 1969; that’s 40 years ago now but I remember it clearly as the day that I first became aware of professional bicycle racing – I was ... More....
Roadside Recap: As we make our merry way through the rounds of the PEZ Looks Back, Ed is up for his retrospective on the Tour that was. As the ... More....
Coming on four years ago, Saul Raisin was one of THE big things in US pro cycling. Top 40 in a hard Tour de Suisse and mountain king at the Tour de ... More....
The last time we spoke to Garmin's Steve Cozza was after the 2008 Paris - Tours; where he produced another solid performance from a consistent and ... More....
Just about to start his second season with Cervélo - thanks to strong Classic rides and his first Grand Tour finish, in the Giro - Englishman, Dan ... More....
In October, nine-time Tour de France rider Frankie Andreu announced that he would be Director Sportif of the Ohio-based KENDA Pro Cycling p/b ... More....
With so many (too many?) others looking back to best-of-2009 or decade highlights, why not look ahead? A new decade beckons, after all, so who better ... More....
We first talked with Lostende Bike Tours owner and avid cyclist Allan Reeves about his Pyrenees Cycling Challenge, from the Atlantic to the ... More....
So, riding in Texas is mostly flat, with only tumbleweeds and armadillos to avoid right? Well, not exactly. You see, Austin is situated in what’s ... More....
Roadside St. 14 When you start each new Giro you understand you’re a year older. You feel a stranger to the village approach and for a moment ... More....
Professional cycling has, over the years, attracted only a few documentary film makers. A few, such as Jorgen Leth’s “A Sunday in Hell,” have even ... More....
I’m just digging out from a few days at the BMC training camp, and while I won’t be reporting on doing Jaeger-bombs and Redbulls with Cadel & George, ... More....
Race report: Alejandro Valverde stayed upright to seal his Vuelta victory – the first Grand Tour win of his career. On such a short stage, ... More....
Race Report: Today David Millar won his 5th stage in all his Vuelta’s, he was given one of the swords that Toledo is famous for along with the ... More....
The loss of Franco Ballerini is not one that will be forgotten anytime soon. The sport's best are at a loss and two of the greatest riders of our ... More....
Updated! Hallelujah, they're racing in Qatar, and I just got back from celebrating with every other New Orleanian on Bourbon Street. There's ... More....
It was a dark Sunday morning in Italy when the news services announced that Franco Ballerini, ex-professional, former dual Paris-Roubaix winner and ... More....
The maracas shake, 'Cara mia, mine !' blasts from the PA. Bang! The little cannon fires and the hall fills with smoke. Yes, this is the right place, ... More....
When the K-Mart Classic of West Virginia stormed through the state in the mid-90s, it opened awareness as to just how great the bike riding is in ... More....
After riding the final 17 sectors of Paris-Roubaix yesterday, and typing to you with still swollen, sore, and blistered hands, I understand to my ... More....
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/amclass/amc420alarge.jpg",900,698);)
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/serotta/meilarge.jpg",2000,1244);)
