"Cycling is big in the Basque country!" 🚴♂️ 🍒 Joe Cole and Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola discuss all things cycling ahead of La Vuelta a Espana 🇪🇸
“I think it will be almost everyone against Jumbo-Visma" - AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola plans to watch La Vuelta between training sessions
CyclingFriday, 25 August 2023 at 15:00
Aside from trying his best to ensure another season of Premier League football for AFC Bournemouth, 41-year-old Basque, Andoni Iraola is a keen cycling fan, revealing how he plans to stay up to date with the Vuelta a Espana during training.
“I will try. Every afternoon, [I will] probably have it on the TV in the background. I will be aware of what’s happening," Iraola told TNT Sports. “I think it will be almost everyone against Jumbo-Visma, with Primoz Roglic, with Jonas Vingegaard. I think almost everyone will race against them. They have a very strong team and I expect something like this.”
Coming from the Basque Country, Iraola grew up with a passion for cycling that many of his compatriots share. “Cycling is something big in the Basque Country," he explains. "Other people used to go to the Pyrenees to see the mountain stages, and sometimes we are lucky that the Tour starts in some of our cities, like this year."
Iraola even sees that comparisons can be drawn between top-level football and Grand Tour cycling. “It looks like an individual sport, but I think it’s very tactical," he concludes. "Your team is very important and I really love it. I love it from the tactical side. I think it’s a very hard sport.”
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