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Question: What does it mean to you, in this first year of NSN Cycling, that the opening stages of the Tour de France are being held in Barcelona and Catalonia?<\/p>\n
Answer: \u201cSpecial. I think it\u2019s special for everyone. Because it\u2019s Barcelona, because we are all involved in this wonderful project. There has been a lot of work, especially from the people in the team, from everyone involved in the team, and there is a lot of excitement, a lot of desire for the Tour de France to start, speaking as a fan. It is, so to speak, the most spectacular event, and having the chance to be part of it is brilliant.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd since the whole team is here, I want to take the opportunity to wish them the best of luck. We will be supporting them throughout the whole race and, therefore, I hope everything goes as well as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Q: What is your dream with this participation in the Tour, and what do you appreciate most about cycling?<\/p>\n
A: \u201cSome time ago I had the opportunity to get involved in this project. Cycling, as I said a few months ago, is something I grew up with from a young age, especially in the summer, watching the Tour de France during Indurain\u2019s era. So being part of this project and being surrounded by these kinds of professionals is an incentive.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, as a person, it allows me to keep learning. I think when you discover how a cycling team works, with everything measured down to the millimetre, with the professionalism they have and their way of working, it is fascinating.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love teamwork and, if there is one sport that dignifies collective work, it is cycling. Hopefully this project lasts for a long time. There are a lot of people working towards that, and we are here to support the riders so they can achieve their goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Q: What values or philosophies would you like to transfer from football to cycling?<\/p>\n
A: \u201cI think both sports are very similar, although cycling is even harder. Everything is decided by millimetres or seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really impressed when I was with the team at La Volta a Catalunya, sharing the bus and seeing how they prepare each stage and how they work during the race. Their way of working impressed me hugely.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it is a privilege to be part of this project and, on top of that, to keep learning from them, because I love sport, I love cycling and I love football.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Iniesta is one Spain’s most successful ever footballers<\/p>\n
Q: What can cycling learn from football from an economic point of view?<\/p>\n
A: \u201cI don\u2019t know exactly. They are different sports, although they also have many similarities.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom our side, we are trying to build the values of the team. I think that is what can make fans identify with us. Not everything revolves around money. I know money is important, but we are trying to create something special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Q: If you had to compare a current footballer with Biniam Girmay or with Pogacar, who would it be?<\/p>\n
A: \u201cIn every team, both in cycling and in football, everyone has their role. The important thing is collective work to achieve the objective, which in this case would be winning a stage or fighting for the green jersey.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many players who could be compared, but I prefer not to name names.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spain at the Football World Cup<\/p>\n
Q: Spain are facing the last 16 of the World Cup. How do you see the national team and Lamine Yamal?<\/p>\n
A: \u201cThe World Cup is very difficult. Any detail can punish you a lot. The group stage is one thing and the knockout rounds are something very different.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, Spain remain one of the favourites because of the players they have and because of what they convey. I am very optimistic and hopefully we can increase the number of stars on the shirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs for Lamine, I\u2019m not going to reveal anything new. He is a very important player for the national team and a large part of the team\u2019s future depends on what he is capable of doing to make the difference. But the really important thing is the group, because Spain have many decisive footballers at their clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Q: What has struck you most since getting to know cycling from the inside?<\/p>\n
A: \u201cWhat has surprised me most is the preparation. The planning of each rider\u2019s role, everything that can happen during a stage, the work with the sports director… Everything is calculated in detail.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you get to know this sport from the inside, it is fascinating, because from the outside you only see the riders, but not all the work and strategy behind it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs for the Spanish national team, I still think they have a group capable of aiming for the very top. Anything can happen afterwards, but I still have complete confidence in them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Q: Which players can make the difference at the World Cup? And can you see yourself one day coaching Barcelona or the Spanish national team?<\/p>\n
A: \u201cSo far, both Leo Messi and Mbappe have been the most decisive players because of the level they are showing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs for Spain, my perception does not change at all. They remain one of the favourites to win this World Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs for coaching Barca or the national team, that is still a long way off for me. I am beginning my training as a coach and I am not a manager yet. Time will put everyone in their place. Obviously my name will always be linked with Barca and the national team, but right now that possibility is still a long way off.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: What does it mean to you, in this first year of NSN Cycling, that the opening…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":775073,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[129873,49,48,635,4150,145101,82,636],"class_list":["post-775072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-biniam-girmay","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-interview","tag-nsn-cycling-team","tag-sports","tag-tour-de-france"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=775072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/775073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=775072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=775072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=775072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}