www.albertocontadornotebook.info - Alberto Contador Fans Notebook
contadorfans@hotmail.com
FAN REPORT: CHRISTINE KAHANE
July 22, 2008
Christine Kahane reports regularly for CHECHURUBIERA.INFO. Chechu's editor, Nicky, is away at the seaside for a few days, so we are the lucky beneficiaries.
Read her other reports and see her excellent photos at Chechu's website.
In Nîmes, on Saturday 19th July, we had a date with *the Triplets and their parents. They had arrived the day before and had parked their camping car near the famous Nimes Arenas, where the Tour Village was located.
It was the first day of really hot weather for us and the peloton, with a temperature of over 36° C in the shade.
The departure of the stage took place in the beautiful historic setting of the Arenas where bullfights are programmed from time to time in the summer but, unlike the Spanish, the French forbid the “coup de grace” and here bulls are never put to death or even badly injured.
We spotted the Triplets among the crowd at the very time I got a phone call from Dima (Yaroslav Povovych’s soigneur) to tell me he would not be coming to the departure spot, because he had to drive one of the team cars to the next stage ahead of the peloton, but that he would see us in Paris at the end of the Tour. Dima has become a personal friend and next September, Roger and I are travelling to Ukraine and will meet Dima’s family.
On that sunny Saturday, we had a chance to talk to several riders and staff members like Gianni, the adorable Italian Barloworld soigneur and bus driver, who will have to find a new team since Barloworld is terminating its sponsorship immediately after the Tour, Dirk Demol, always happy to see us, who told us Johan Bruyneel was joining the race in Dignes-les-Bains the same evening, to comment the last week of the Tour for a US TV channel, Christian Vandevelde, currently third in the GC, who talked about his one-year old little girl, Uma, who will get next February a brother or sister, and Yaroslav Popovych, who was welcoming Ukrainian friends from his home town, who were introduced to us because Yaroslav still believes I am fluent in Russian –which is far from being the case!
The Tour in Nîmes was a pleasant diversion from boring holidays in the country nearby.
*"The Triplets" are identical triplet sisters, teenage webmasters for Yaroslav Popovych. See their WEBSITE
FAN REPORT: BRUNO LOPEZ VIZCON
July 18, 2008
ASTANA IN ASTURIAS
Bruno and the champion at Fuentes de Invierno
Bruno Lopez Vizcon lives in Asturias in the north of Spain, home to Contador's teammates Chechu Rubiera, Benjamin Noval, and Dani Navarro.
Asturias is also home to the monster peak in this year's Vuelta a España, the Anglirú. When the Astana team arrived Thursday to preview Vuelta Stages 13 and 14, Bruno was there with his camera.
PART ONE: The Anglirú (with photos)
PART TWO: Fuentes de Invierno
Today was a much better day. No press, only a couple of fans, so we could make a good pic with Conta and Benja. The day was all clear, no clouds, but really hot.
Chechu followed in a car, and the only one who made the summit was Contador. He thought that the climb was hard, but I think it's pretty easy for them, long but "easy".
Alberto asked Chechu about the leg, and Chechu said that they couldn't make x-rays because it was still swollen.
Then, they all went to a cabin that Benja has on the mountain. I guess they´ll eat some Asturian meat!!!
Cool day, but I am as red as a crab. My face feels like paper!!!!
Seven Quick Follow-up Questions for Bruno
Alberto comments after climbing the Fuentes de Invierno
1. What kind of "Asturian meat" do you think the riders might have enjoyed at Benja's cabin?
Some of the best Asturian meat is wild pig, especially in this area, so Benja being a good hunter, it´s a great choice. The meat has a strong taste, but is great. It could also be deer, or an Asturian dish "escalopines al cabrales" which is steaks of veal with cabrales cheese. I dunno if that´s an allowed food on a rider's diet!!!
2. Is Benja's cabin a base for hunting expeditions?
I´d say the cabin is definitely for hunting. Although it had like a place to hang outside, with chairs, a table, and stuff like that, I´m sure they use it to sleep the day before hunting (people usually wake up very very early), and to store the food.
3. Do you think having three Asturian riders on his team gives Contador an advantage in the Vuelta? No other team has three Asturians, and the hardest part of the race is Asturias.
Well, I don't know if that's a great advantage, but sure, it´s an advantage. Riders with lots of experience in the roads, the climbs, the downhills, the weather, everything, can give Contador tips and can take care of him pretty good. They will play an important role.
4. Maybe the second half of the Vuelta is perfect for Contador. He'll race in Asturias with good preparation and three Asturian domestiques.
Then he'll head south to Madrid, racing in Castilla y León where's he's been successful. Then closer to home every day, through places where he likes to train. Do you have any thoughts about this?
I dunno if the schedule is the right one. I mean, it´s cool to come here to Asturias with these great summer days, but I´m pretty sure the conditions in September are gonna be much worse, and maybe he should be prepared for it. But they are the pros, and this is only my amateur guess.
5. Do people in Asturias have qualities that make them more likely to succeed in sports, like the Astana riders, Samú (Sanchez), or Fernando Alonso?
Well, we have some special skills. I think that living in Asturias gives you a fighting spirit, courage, and rage. Training here (cycling, karting or whatever) with the cold and the rain is not nice, so you have to convince yourself to go out and give everything.
I think that the roots of the Asturian people, most of them miners, sailors, humble people, has something to do with it.
6. How did Chechu look today? Did he seem happy, or sad about his injury?
Chechu seemed worried with the injury, I don't know, not sad, but worried. He was very interested in what Alberto thinks of the climb, how he was, very focused on the training of his teammates. I think that if he knew what was going on, bad or good, he would be more calm.
7. What kind of weather can the team expect to encounter on the Vuelta stages in Asturias?
I'd say rain, warm days mixed with bad days. Almost impossible to predict. While in Madrid September is still summer, in Asturias it's already autumn. Thinking about previous Anglirús, I´d say they'd better expect hell.
Contador says he can make the grade
Bruno and Contador atop the Anglirú
Contador inspects every inch of the Anglirú
(photos by Bruno Lopez Vizcon)
Web design by Nicky Orr and Modem Operandi. Masthead photo credits: (1) bbc.co.uk (2) Liz Kreutz, kreutzphotography.com.