2023-06-30 21:22:55
From our special correspondent in Bilbao – The 110th edition of the Tour de France starts on Saturday from the city of Bilbao, in the Spanish Basque Country. In this country of cycling enthusiasts, passion is at the rendezvous and particularly moves Pello Bilbao, local of this Grand Départ.
Published on: 06/30/2023 – 21:22
This is quite simply a first in the history of the Tour. A runner bears the name of the starting town. An almost anecdotal strangeness which nevertheless makes the person concerned smile in the interview, Pello Bilbao from Bahrain-Merida, as the kick-off of the 110th edition of the Tour de France approaches, Saturday July 1
“It’s one of the details that sum up the magic of the event,” he notes in Vélo Magazine.
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And by choosing for the second time in its history the Spanish province for its Grand Départ, the organization of the Tour knew that the magic would be there. Since this great departure from San Sebastian in 1992, the cycling-loving territory has applied for membership every year. It is an audience of enthusiasts, “the yellow jersey of the spectators”, according to the director of the Tour Christian Prudhomme.
The heritage of Euskaltel-Euskadi far from being forgotten
Bilbao is adorned with the colors of the Tour. Public benches, flower boxes, facades, elevators, lampposts and even the funicular that leads to Artxanda, on the heights, are adorned with yellow and red polka dots. Murals to the glory of cycling decorate shops and metro stations. The Basques and tourists also took out their bikes to ride and stroll while waiting for the start of the Grande Boucle.
An orange tide in the Basque colors of Euskaltel-Euskadi, the legendary local cycling team which raged in the professional peloton between 1994 and 2013, welcomed the riders during the presentation of the teams on the forecourt of the Guggenheim Museum, not hesitating not a moment to brave the rain. A rockstar welcome was reserved for the seven Basque riders who will take the start of this 2023 edition. Pello Bilbao was moved to tears in front of this welcome and addressed a few words to the crowd in Basque.
“I can’t really explain why cycling is so important for the Basques… It was already the case even before I was born! We’ve always had a great cycling culture, especially in competition. I imagine that the the fact that we are a small region must play”, tried to explain the 9th of the Grande Boucle 2021 and former of Euskaltel-Euskadi, in a press conference. “Cities are close to each other, so cycling is a good way for all of us to get around, and some become runners.”
A route that passes Guernica twice
The first stage could be a very emotional moment for Pello Bilbao. During this Bilbao-Bilbao loop, the route passes twice through his native village of Guernica, a martyr city immortalized by Picasso.
“I know the roads of this stage with my eyes closed,” he said in Vélo magazine. “Few runners, especially outside France, have the chance that the biggest race in the world goes to their hometown and on their training routes”, he savors.
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The long and rich history of the Basque Country with the Tour de France began very strongly, in 1910, with the legendary Vincente Blanco, nicknamed “El Cojo” (The Lame) after two construction accidents which had left him with serious injuries to his feet. Then double champion of Spain, he went to Paris at the start… by bike. That is a journey of around 1,000 km starting from Bilbao. He had finished the first stage but out of time, for lack of food.
The madness will also translate to the roads. Rare are the cycling events without an orange supporter and the ikurriña (the Basque flag) showing the tip of their nose. So at home, the fervor should reach heights as high as the neighboring Pyrenees.
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