LaVuelta Triple crown of Roglic in the Spanish wasteland
'Supermán' López Controversial abandonment: "I want to apologize"
The link is broken with a splendid generation and alarms go off. For the first time in history, Spanish cycling is unable to achieve a partial victory in one of the big three. The second place of
Enric Mas
in the Vuelta does not hide the open crisis in a sport that has shone with intensity since the irruption of
Pedro Delgado
and
Miguel Indurain
. More than three glorious decades now languishing. The last four Spanish coaches:
Paco Antequera
,
José Luis de Santos
,
Javier Mínguez
and
Pascual Momparler
analyze the worrying panorama for EL MUNDO.
Antequera (57 years old) is the most awarded coach in the World Cups, with the medals of
Freire
,
Astarloa
,
Valverde
,
Gutiérrez
and
González de Galdeano
. For the coach, who left office in 2009 and opposed the candidacy for the presidency of the Federation, the key to the decline in quality lies in the management of the quarry: "The problem is the abandonment of the base. The federations and the Higher Sports Council (CSD) only live by winning medals, but they forget that if the base is not promoted there are no results. For them, if Valverde wins everything is already assured, with that they are worth it. When I was a coach, I had no difficulties with the budget of the professionals: if I asked for 10 they would give me 12, but for the kids if I asked for six they would give me two ...
The sponsors look for immediate results
. ''
The former director also points out that we still inherit the embers of doping.
'' Spain has had a great level but we have plummeted.
We have not been able to find substitutes.
There are fewer and fewer riders,
we only have one team on the World Tour
and people are going abroad.
Enric Mas is good, but he lacks a dot in all areas to win a big one.
Now we cling to the good that comes out, as it happens with
Ayuso,
'' he says.
Young Ayuso and Rodríguez
Antequera was relieved by José Luis de Santos (53 years old), who achieved two bronzes with
Purito
(2009) and Valverde (2012). The Segovian believes that what happened this year is something specific: '' A host of circumstances has come together. Valverde, who was in great shape, retired; But, who could have won a couple of stages, he found an
immeasurable
Roglic
;
Landa
did not recover from the fall of the Giro;
Friar
,
Luis León
,
De la Cruz
or
Izagirre
, who won in other races, they tried.
There has been bad luck, we have high quality riders, I don't think we will go through a desert.
After Indurain we believed that no one would come, but then
Sastre
, Freire, Purito, Valverde,
Contador arrived.
... And now we have young people like Ayuso,
Carlos Rodríguez
or
Romo
, who are very good. ''
De Santos trusts the maturing of Enric Mas: '' He has an impressive quality and a lot of talent, but he lacks the 'punch' of Valverde and he believes that he can beat those who were recently his idols.
He still lacks a degree of self-confidence. ''
The current president of the Association of Professional Cyclists is most concerned with promoting riders. '' In all the communities,
except in the Basque Country
, we have a void in training, with a large decrease in cycling practitioners. Before, the boys went directly to the schools, now you have to go find them. Those who are in the range of eight to 14 years have a hard time signing up.
There is a lot of sedentary lifestyle
. You have to work a lot in the cycling schools, and we have to do it all the levels: Federation, CSD, Association of Runners, etc. ''.
José Luis de Santos left his post, in 2012, to Javier Mínguez (72 years old), who got the gold from Valverde in Innsbruck.
Valladolid is concerned about the Spanish wasteland: "Many of those who run this business do not know the market,
they are only interested in the photo
, they do not really know how to work.
We ask for more entries from sponsors, but you have to know that companies do not make runners, for that you have to improve grassroots cycling. ''
Sow from below
'' Here everyone has their interests. A
Unzue
does well and does not have the same objectives as the Caja Rural, Burgos, Euskadi or equipment Contador. Movistar has all the good guys, the monopoly is negative. More competition is necessary, because rivalry makes business good. I think they should all get together, make a cycling white paper, with a work guide.
You have to sow from below
. The Federation and the CSD do not win, those who win are the riders of the teams. When I was a coach, I did not change their eating habits, the only thing I asked them was that on race day they understood that the only one who had the power to command was me, '' he adds.
Mínguez also assures that we must be realistic with the present: "The best is Enric Mas, who gives what he gives, and then we have Ayuso and Carlos Rodríguez, promises that have yet to confirm their quality at a professional level."
Mínguez left his position, in 2018, to Pascual Momparler (39 years old), who maintains that the causes of the blank year in the big three must be sought in the absence of success of the young people.
'' People like Cortina,
Mas
,
Aranburu
,
Barceló
or
Soler
should have taken a step forward, but circumstances have not allowed it.
I think that if Soler had had more continuity, he would have achieved something.
This generation had to have exploded. ''
The coach prefers not to be alarmed and appeal to patience: '' You have to have a bit of luck so that people like Contador, Valverde, Purito or
Samuel come out
.
What has Slovenia done better than us?
Well ,
have a couple of mothers who have given birth to
two
cracks
as
Pogacar
and Roglic.
We must not get nervous, we have material, now we just have to wait.
Last year we didn't do any podiums, now we have Mas, who seems like you can't see him, but he doesn't fail, he's like a pylon hammer.
Before, Spain was in the first line, now we lack a little dynamite, which I am sure will come.
When?
Ayuso and Carlos Rodríguez, if everything goes well, they have a couple of years left. ''
Well then, let's wait.
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