Pablo de la Calle

Updated Friday, February 2, 2024-20:34

Pello Bilbao (Guernica and Luno, 1990), Spanish number 1 in the 2023 UCI ranking, breaks ground with the new generation of early runners. He started cycling late and at 33 years old he says he doesn't know where his limit is. In 2023 he won a stage in the Tour and ended a five-year streak of the Spanish without victories in the French round. The Basque has started the season in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, a round that ends this Sunday.

In the last Tour you finished sixth. He was second in the San Sebastián Classic. What objectives does he have for this campaign? My main objective is to do a good job in the Tour. I will also go to Paris-Nice, the Basque Country, some races in the Ardennes and the San Sebastian classic. This year we have the Olympic Games and the World Cup. Are they not on your agenda? I would like to be in both, but I am aware that going to Paris will be complicated, because they will only select three runners and it is not a circuit for climbers. I see the World Championship as more feasible, with a course with a lot of wear and tear. In 2022 he was fifth in the Giro d'Italia and in 2021, ninth in the Tour. It is reliable in the background tests, but it also points out good ways in classics. Have you considered betting more on one-day races? No. I have gotten used to having a small calendar and focusing only on one big one. I really like Strada Bianche, but I won't go this year. In the Ardennes the one that best adapts to my conditions is Liège. The Walloon Arrow has a too explosive ending... My stage as a stage hunter and gregarious has passed. Furthermore, the team would not let me focus only on the classics. This season, with the departure of Mikel Landa, he remains a great reference for Bahrain. Does that responsibility bother you? No. In recent campaigns he already shared leadership with Mikel. On several occasions he had to assume that responsibility. Now it will be different because, looking from the outside, it seems that I will be the only option. But we have a strong team, with a variety of alternatives and with good people, like Matej Mohoric and Damiano Caruso. Last year he was the first Spanish cyclist in the UCI ranking, he won a stage in the Tour. Do you feel undervalued by the general public? I don't know if the general public undervalues ​​me, but this is not something that worries me too much. For me, the important thing is that the team is happy with me. The Spanish fan got used badly to the triumphs of Contador, Valverde, Freire or 'Purito' Rodríguez. You have belonged to a generation of transition, which has not finished finishing off. Does that burden weigh a lot? In my generation there have been great riders, like Sagan, Pinot, Bardet...But the Spanish level has dropped. You broke a five-year streak without winning in the Tour. It is possible that the Spanish level has gone down. But I can only talk about my case and you can say that I never imagined I would get to where I have. Yours is an atypical case in this cycling of precocious children. It grew late and at a slow pace, but surely. My beginnings were late. When I was 16 I ran with my friends, but only to poke each other. I became a professional with an amateur mentality, I ran for pleasure. I took the step when I was 20 because some people trusted my abilities and because I could combine cycling with the University, with Sports Science studies. The kids of now have very clear ideas,For 16 years they have already acted as professionals. They have a different mentality. They started late and without great passion for cycling. It all started when he bought a bike from a classmate for just over 100 euros. Do you remember that colleague? Yes, his name is Julen. We have no contact. He was not part of my crew and since then we have barely seen each other. In some way you can say that it all started with him. Who were your childhood idols? I didn't have idols, I barely watched television, I preferred to play with friends in the street. He didn't follow anyone in particular. Then I met Joseba Beloki, a cyclist from the area, a true reference. I have great moments from many people, like Amets Txurruka, Iván Velasco or Michele Scarponi. Then I learned what Miguel Indurain meant. He is 33 years old and still growing. I have a contract with Bahrain until 2026 and then I will be 36 years old. Afterwards I don't know what I'll do, it depends on when I reach my ceiling. Is his ceiling a podium in the Tour? It could be. I see that I am evolving every time. In a great stage race there are many circumstances and a podium cannot be ruled out. Fighting face to face with people like Pogacar, Vingegaard or Evenepoel is very difficult, but a podium is not impossible. It would be something incredible. He recently declared that among the new generation of runners he would stay with Wout Van Aert. Yes. He stands out for his class, for his ability to win in all fields and in all specialties, but also for his generosity with his teammates, pulling the group, sacrificing himself for the rest.but also for his generosity with his companions, supporting the group, sacrificing himself for the rest.but also for his generosity with his companions, supporting the group, sacrificing himself for the rest.