The smile has not left the face of Óscar Sevilla (Ossa de Montiel, 46 years old), the eternal face of a child who one day was a promise of Spanish cycling before being devoured by the Puerto operation. He today he is another person. In Argentina he spoke with ABC.
—He is another Colombian.
—That’s right, without forgetting my country, my roots, Ossa de Montiel. In Colombia I have found personal and professional affection, my wife, my girls. Everything.
—How was your story?
—I arrived in Colombia by chance, they invited us to the Tour of Colombia to the Rock Racing team. I went to Víctor Hugo Peña’s house, in Bucaramanga, and that’s where my story began. There were pros and cons, the fans are very nice, the cyclist is respected, you are an idol, but the terrain is very hard, you ran differently, they always attack you… I lived in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and I met again with My wife, Yvonne. And I stayed in Colombia without planning it, I lived in the present, I didn’t think…
“What have you found in the country?”
I liked how people live. Many things can be improved, security, health, no place is perfect. I liked his optimism. We Europeans are more negative, pessimistic, we always want more, to improve our lifestyle, and we must not be ungrateful. We think of the afterlife and do not value what we have. I learned that. Very humble people, not poor, very humble, who enjoy life more than those who have much more money than them. They laugh at nothing, they enjoy the day to day.
—Do you feel the change with Albacete?
-Clear. I go to Spain and meet friends, have a nice dinner, one is a school teacher, another has a carpentry shop, an engineer. And instead of being happy and laughing, I always hear this is bullshit, the matter is very bad, I don’t know what will happen in the future… And I come home depressed.
We are more ambitious…
-Can be. When I come back from dinner my wife says ‘what’s wrong with you?’, and I tell her nothing, I left happy but I come back down. When a serious situation arrives, she is confronted. But why are you going to put yourself in the worst if it hasn’t arrived. If I ride my bike, and I think, I’m going to have a go, I’ve got a go, in the end I’ll have a go… That’s what I learned from Colombia.
—How did you get over your involvement in the Puerto operation?
—My wife is a happy person, who served me as a psychologist. When I met her, two years had already passed since the Puerto operation. Of course she affected me, a lot, but I always had a clear conscience. I didn’t have any problems with depression or oops, I’m going to die. It was hard, helplessness more than anything. But she always makes me happy, she is positive, like my daughter, who is a commercial pilot. She is worth a lot and takes advantage of life. I am like that too, you know me, and I think that with her I took a step forward. She was going to stay with me for a week, and it’s been fourteen years.
—How was the sporty aspect?
—I have lived a very beautiful time, talents like Egan, Gaviria, Henao, López were for Europe. I ran with them and I think I contributed something to them. I always told them, in Europe they don’t eat anyone. Respect the strongest and the weakest, but don’t be afraid of anyone.
—Do you feel that you have revalued Colombian cyclists?
—The best ones are they to say it, if I say it I’m going to look like a leftover. But you can ask anyone who understands. I arrived and changed some things. For example, the time trial bike. In the Tour of Colombia and in others there is no time trial, only time trials. Colombia are beetles. I remember a 25 kilometer time trial, I arrived with my time trial bike and a team manager told me ‘you’re going to bury yourself’. I told him it was the right bike. I got 2 minutes to the best. I was not stronger than them, it was the bike. The following year all the cyclists wore time trial bikes.
—Do Colombians need to add discipline to their talent?
They lack security. We are all human, we all have leg pain. They had to come from their mother’s breast… Many are from very humble families and have come far, I told them they can’t give up now. Some said I want to go home, eat the arepas. I told them you’ll eat arepas in November, but now he dreams big, working. Others ate fritters for breakfast, drank soft drinks. Habits that were changed little by little. Then, training, nothing is free here, only talent is worthless. And the technology, the watts. They are fashions, they told me. In the end, many riders would call me before races to ask me about tactics or situations. It’s not that I was smarter, I had experience.
“The accent has rubbed off on him.”
-Yes of course. In the end I spend my life with them, in Colombia. I feel very loved and respected, I have fun, I have traveled to Miami, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Mexico, Argentina. I have made many friends. Cycling has made me a better person, a better dad, stronger. And I feel indebted. I am not selfish, I advise runners.
—Did you consider acquiring Colombian nationality?
-Yes. In 2012 or 2013 he was winning a lot of races. I felt strong and wanted to return Colombia’s welcome. I tried to run with Colombia, with Nairo. I asked for the paperwork, but the paperwork made it very difficult. I have no longer insisted. I have the residence, but not the nationality.
“It’s someone else.”
-LOL. I have fun in the team, I’m not just a runner, I make training plans, I look for races, we look at tactics, choose riders, the material, the wheels, the hotels. It amuses me, it keeps me alive. I am aware of many external things. And most importantly, in Colombia the atmosphere is wonderful. Riding a bike here is a pleasure.
-He’s 46. Does he retire?
—It may be my last year, yes. I don’t want to crawl. I feel good to work, and I want to help Miguel Ángel López, because he can win. I enjoy cycling, I put the clothes on the day before, we meet at eight and I’m at 7.50. I run out of passion, out of love for this sport, not out of necessity. I don’t want it to be an obligation. Sometimes I talk to professional cyclists and they tell me, oh, but is the Giro running? I see it, I enjoy the races.
—Will you continue cycling in another way?
—Of course, it’s my life, what I like, what I want to do. I feel comfortable. Here in Argentina I have met fans who revere you, directors that I ran with, Lastras, Bramati, journalists that I hadn’t seen for a long time… I don’t have to prove it to anyone but myself. I graduated as a physical trainer, I studied languages, I read… I have prepared myself.
—In Spain it would be something else.
—Possibly in Spain I would not have found this motivation. In Europe she was looking forward to October to rest. It is the stress of the great teams on the runners, the one that weighs your food, the water, the one that measures everything… I am in favor of technology, but sometimes you do not have to exceed limits. This burns heads a lot. Here we are looking for performance, but make it fun.