MIRAMOS. ESPERAMOS. DECIDIMOS. ATACAMOS. April 14, 2008
Posted by wetalkhablamos in chechu.2 comments
WEBSITE REVIEW April 9, 2008
Posted by wetalkhablamos in Kazakhstan, team astana.4 comments
REVIEW
On our 21st century digital superhighway, the design of the new website is an oddity. Much like now uber-cool Trabant motor car, it gets you from A to B, albeit clunkily. But really, you don’t want your mates to see you in it.
GIRO: GO OR NO GO? April 3, 2008
Posted by wetalkhablamos in chechu, giro d'italia, team astana.5 comments
Chechu Rubiera told El Comercio yesterday that there’s still a whisper of a hope that Astana will ride the Giro d’Italia next month.
“I know it’s difficult, but the team is negotiating the few possibilities we have for riding, so we’re waiting to see what happens in the talks.”
If the organizers of the Giro agree on a deal that lets Astana ride, what are the repercussions?
Suppose Astana rides a successful Giro. Praise flows in the media, fans have fun, sponsors relax.
Would the Tour de France feel any pressure to follow suit? Would it create the tiniest crack in their armor? Would it it cause a drop of uneasy perspiration on their brows?
What do you think?
Rebecca, Kansas City
CYCLING VACATIONS … OR NOT March 18, 2008
Posted by wetalkhablamos in Uncategorized.add a comment
My wife and I started going to the Tour de France in 2001 to support a fellow cancer survivor, not long after I was diagnosed. It was less about cycling and more about supporting a friend and raising awareness about a disease that affects so many people in the world.
Our first day on the side of a mountain was spent with a loud fanatical group, which we became friends with, Chechu’s fan club. We cheered, sang, laughed, ate and drank together, and for the next four years met them on the side of a mountain and did it all over again.
DEATH OF A FORUM March 12, 2008
Posted by wetalkhablamos in team astana, team discovery.4 comments
So The Paceline’s forum is offline. The message says it’s a temporary cessation. Realistically though, why would they bring it back?
I’ve watched this forum on and off since it launched in the summer of 2007, and occasionally participated. It was once a creative talking shop for Discovery fans and often good source for hot information.
There were lots of good people hanging around, enjoying their club, and I believe genuine friendships were made.
In recent months, however, the forum was scuppered by this friendship.
LONG WAY ROUND … KAZAKHSTAN March 1, 2008
Posted by wetalkhablamos in Uncategorized.2 comments
In 2004, Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor began a twenty thousand mile trip by motorcycle around the world, travelling through Europe, Mongolia, Russia, Canada, USA and … Kazakhstan, home of Team Astana’s major sponsors.
On the road to Almaty, Ewan McGregor’s celebrity was big news. For the local officials, this was a photo opportunity too good to miss. The pair were pursued by paparazzi, endured countless local police escorts and were treated to folk singing in national costume.
Fermented camel’s milk was served, “fizzy like carbonated goats’ yoghurt”.
Although the roads invariably disappeared, becoming rocky tracks, or simply mud, the landscape was magnificent.
RUNNING ON DYNAMITE February 19, 2008
Posted by wetalkhablamos in cycling fans, sponsors, team astana.add a comment
Professional cycling is in a mess. Chechu says it, and increasingly, so does everyone else.
For the fan, our joy of the sport is now a test of endurance. With each twist and turn in a grinding, endless climb, with its false summits and precarious descents, at times, it’s just not fun.
I wonder what it’s like on the inside. For Chechu and his team-mates. Just how do they keep it together?
EL CICLISMO EN LA ESPAÑA DE HOY February 16, 2008
Posted by wetalkhablamos in cycling fans, spanish cycling.1 comment so far
Hoy necesitaba irme en bici. Entre otras cosas, en la bicicleta uno tiene tiempo de reflexionar. Mientras pedaleaba, pensaba en aquellos (maravillosos) años, cuando España vibraba con el ciclismo.
Fueron los 5 primeros años de los 90.
La era de oro del ciclismo español. Recuerdo perfectamente, que de la mano de un gigantón, Miguelón, los veranos tenían algo especial. El despertador interior de los españoles se ajustaba de manera que todos nos despertábamos para ver los 10 últimos kilómetros de la etapa. Era una tradición sagrada.
LOVE AND DESPAIR AMONGST THE FANS February 14, 2008
Posted by wetalkhablamos in cycling fans, team astana, tour de france.Tags: team astana, tour de france, valentines day
7 comments
14th February and it’s St Valentine’s Day again.
Even my Spanish language calendar is exuding love at me. Te quiero, cariño. I love you, darling, it will whisper all day from the bookshelf.
Love and passion is a theme this morning on the forums and messages boards inhabited by fans of Alberto Contador and Team Astana.
In disbelief and anger at ASO’s decision yesterday to exclude Astana from the Tour de France, fans have laid bare their hearts and souls. I would walk to the ends of the earth and through hot coals for you.
I’m impressed.
we talk/hablamos 