<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore, I\u2019m a specialist and I focus on my goal, and then I rest for three months and focus on the next one,” continues the seven-time Spanish international. “Now we have riders who are very ambitious. They want to be competitive almost all the season. I think we are enjoying it.\u201d<\/p>\n
From the Basque Country to the Premier LeagueBorn in 1982 and raised in the Basque Country, Iraola\u2019s attachment to cycling predates his own professional football career. \u201cWhen the Tour de France<\/a> started in 1992 in San Sebasti\u00e1n, I was 10,\u201d he recalled. \u201cFor us, the Tour was everything. And suddenly we had it there in front of our eyes.”\u201cI followed every stage,” continues Iraola. “Especially the Tour, and also the Clasica San Sebastian<\/a>. But the Tour was the main thing.\u201d<\/p>\n That immersion in cycling culture has never left him. Even now, navigating his first season in England, he still finds ways to follow the sport. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut especially during pre-season, we always follow the Tour. I love the Classics. Sometimes you are about to play a Premier League game, and you are checking your phone. I try not to see the stage so I can enjoy it later. I have to turn off all notifications and mute my WhatsApp groups just to get one hour to watch the Classics.\u201d<\/p>\n Cycling suffering vs football recovery<\/p>\n For a man operating at the top of English football, Iraola has no hesitation in saying cycling\u2019s physical demands exceed those of the sport he coaches.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the moment, what cyclists do is harder,\u201d he said. \u201cThey make an incredible effort for five or six hours, and then they have to do it again the next day, and the next day, almost without recovery. For a football player, that would be impossible. You could maybe do it for two days, but by the third day, everyone would get injured.\u201d<\/p>\n He is careful not to diminish football\u2019s intensity, pointing to its contact and explosive demands, but the cumulative load of stage racing leaves a particular impression.<\/p>\n \u201cFootball is very demanding physically because there is contact, jumps and different muscular demands,\u201d he explained. \u201cThe suffering might not be as high as in cycling, but the body doesn\u2019t recover as well after you play football.\u201d<\/p>\n Tactics, sacrifice and the Classics<\/p>\n Beyond the physical comparison, Iraola also sees clear tactical parallels between the two sports.<\/p>\n \u201cCycling is much more tactical than it looks,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople think the fastest rider wins, or the best climber wins, but there is a lot of strategy. How you protect your leader, how you create other options in the team, how everyone sacrifices for the best rider, in that mentality, we can take things from cycling.\u201d<\/p>\n That appreciation extends to the terrain that defines spring. \u201cThe Koppenberg for me was incredible,\u201d he said. \u201cThose smaller hills are mythical.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked about the likely winner of the Tour of Flanders<\/a>, he pointed to the riders who dominate today\u2019s narrative. \u201cWith Pogacar, you never know,\u201d he said. \u201cIf he goes for it, he is probably the main favourite. Everyone expects the duel with Mathieu van der Poel<\/a>.\u201dA Landa loyalist in a new era<\/p>\n While he celebrates the sport\u2019s current giants, Iraola\u2019s loyalties remain rooted closer to home. \u201cIn recent years, I\u2019ve been a big Mikel Landa fan,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut everyone is getting older, and maybe we are in his final moments at the top. I hope he still has a big stage in him. I like many riders at the moment. When I was younger, I had idols. Now I just enjoy a lot of cyclists.\u201d<\/p>\n It is a perspective shaped by decades of watching the sport evolve, from the Basque roadside in 1992 to the dugout of a Premier League club.<\/p>\n In a football environment where every marginal gain is analysed, Iraola still finds inspiration in the peloton\u2019s blend of sacrifice, ambition and all-season daring. In his view, the current generation has moved beyond specialisation and made the sport more compelling than ever.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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