- Direct: last minute of the coronavirus
Miguel Silvestre should be a newcomer to raffling trails through South Africa. And, in no time, preparing for the desert dunes of Merzouga. He flirted in his day with professional cycling, but chose to be a professional of solidarity or, as he defines himself, "a achiever of impossible dreams on wheels . " Now life has brought him back to his origins, to his apron, to his usual neighbors. Now the adventure is in the neighborhood.
When everything threatened to rush, when in early March the coronavirus spread silently around Spain like an oil slick, Miguel had already unpacked the suitcases for the Cape Epic , one of the most famous mountain bike races in the world. Like so many other times, he was enlisted for a good cause. This time, with the Fundación Freno al ictus . As on another occasion, he conquered the Annapurnas in Nepal, in an unforgettable expedition with women who overcame cancer. Or from Madrid to Lisbon, 770 kilometers non-stop, guiding a team of kids with intellectual disabilities. Or with Alex Roca to heroically complete the Titan Desert in Morocco a year ago .... But the nuclear this time was just around the corner. Specifically in the family greengrocer.
Half a century ago, her father and uncle, who came from the town like many others, started Hermanos Silvestre , an establishment that has been there since 1936. In the Madrid neighborhood of El Viso, on Calle Felipe Campos 11, he became an essential that resisted the passage of time, the challenge of the large areas. All that loyalty from the neighbors is what Silvestre now wants to return, in addition, of course, to ensure the health of his parents, Ana and Miguel, already close to 70, whom he put in the house to never go out again.
«They are from the old school, they wanted to continue working. It pisses me off that many of those who have struggled to build all this, those who lifted it all up and made us get ahead, are now dying. And they are doing it alone, and without being able to say goodbye », he recounts, after reviewing the dantesque scenes he has to live daily, of lonely old men, of dramas behind each door. "Unfortunately, I have to work as a fruit bowl, but also as a psychologist," he admits.
Now, Miguel, along with his brother Javier and the two longtime employees (Carlos and José), changed the jersey for the apron. The watts on the bike for the early risers to Mercamadrid, to collect the product. Provisioning points around the corner with the van, from house to house, distributing orders. Day of more than 15 hours. Because the consumption of fruit, despite the problems that are now looming due to the lack of labor for the collection, has not stopped rising. As published last week by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food , up to 18.5% more than a year ago on the same dates. Although it is not easy for everyone to make the purchase. He receives an average of 150 calls a day.
"The children call us to supply the parents, because they do not know who to turn to. And if you also need fish, meat or detergent, because it is close to you », he confesses with the emotion of the one who helps. "People do not want to leave home, and that is what they should do, so we cannot cope with home delivery. We are being very strict about sanitary measures, and we don't want people to come. Telephone attention and delivery in each house, to reduce risks », he details.
Payments, trying to avoid the cash, even leaving the note for later, when normality returns. “We have a responsibility not to infect anyone, so it's better that way. This is not about making money . ”
And that Miguel did not have among his many concerns the fruit shop where he ran around as a child. Soon the bicycle marked his destiny, although he never left his studies (Law) or dreams. Promise of cycling in Madrid, early winner of the Vuelta a Salamanca (2005) , among other milestones of youth, somewhat disenchanted the professionalism that tempted him. He expanded his sights with his exquisite bike shop in Madrid, Retrocycle, a place of worship for fans. And he ventured into a thousand adventures, always with the help of others as a banner. Sports director of the Pilgrim Race -the MTB race that connects Madrid with Santiago-, for a few months now he has even his own production company, Sporty Telling, "to tell stories that deserve to be told." Like that of Pedales for Africa, that of an NGO with which he traveled 200 kilometers to Tigray (Ethiopia) with Perico Delgado and other athletes to bring medicine and sport to children with disabilities.
With his intrinsic optimism, Miguel still glimpses a gap between so much grayness. «It is true that it is also an opportunity. Now is the time to start these small businesses . To give personalized attention. To deal directly with customers, to trust us again, to be able to get everywhere, "he argues. “The neighborhood business was something reviled, something that people didn't stop to think about. And now, with respect for everyone, we have become the ones that allow people to have basic food. You have to value words like neighborhood, grocer or neighbors ».
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