«It was undoubtedly my best season», words of Pelo Bilbao. The Basque won three races, but above all he showed an astonishing consistency of performance. This has always been its strong point, but this year it has actually grown even further.
The Bahrain-Victorious rider has only failed to finish in the top ten once in eight stage races.The first time was at the Valencian Community when he was still in his testing phase. And in the other seven races, he finished on the podium three times.
Incredible consistency
A few days ago Bilbao spoke to a TV station (Deia) from his region and made interesting speeches both about the past season and the upcoming one.
«Credo – said Bilbao – to continue to improve and that I have not yet reached my full potential. At 32, finishing a year with these results is a good sign for me. I've always been consistent and consistent. I've had three victories, and in one of them I even beat Julian Alaphilippe in a close sprint. For me, this is the photo of the year. and it is a photo to keep in my fondest memories, a victory that marks a career."
And perhaps it is worth keeping also because he obtained it in his homeland, at the Tour of the Basque Country.
«I'm happy with what we've done this season because no match is a given today. You always race at the highest level, whatever the category. The current pace always requires you to be at your best. We've gone from a cycling that required you to be in peak form at certain times to a cycling where you have to be in good shape all year round. It's a bit like football."
Motivations for all
But being at 100% all the time isn't easy. And it's not easy in your legs or your head. And Pello knows this well, so much so that he also commented on this point.
«Clearly – continued Bilbao – You can't ignore the pressure the team and perhaps the press put on you. These things can sometimes make you lose motivation. So, as with everything in life, you have to set boundaries and know how to set them. We spend half our lives working, and if we don't like what we do, it's hard to wait for the holidays." It's like saying, "You have to try to be happy and love what you do": that's the gist of it.
Pressure yes or no?
We talked about pressure, perhaps this aspect is the link, let's not say weak, but the least resistant of the Basque. Pello is a generous, good, tough rider, but when the key moment arrives he might prefer to step back, better to help a leader. Of course, these are feelings that come from the outside. But for example, the final stage of the Tour of the Alps of this year.
Bilbao had dominated the race up to that point. Yet that morning in the pouring rain of Lienz there was a feeling in the air that something could happen. It was not a given that he would “bring the ship to port.” Maybe he wasn't well that night, who knows... but the doubt remains.
This is not meant to be a limitation we want to place on a great athlete. In the end, these are things that apply to everyone. And even sphinxes apparently with nerves of steel like pogacar o evenepoel they have taken this aspect into account. Or the same vingegaard this summer after winning the Tour.
Gas wide open
But let's go back to Bilbao and the coming season. He is much loved in Italy. Both for that memorable gesture when he helped Caruso towards Alpe Motta, both because he is a loyal supporter of the Line of Business. Pello has six starts in the Giro d'Italia: it's the most participated in his twelve-year career. But this year, we most likely won't see him starting from Abruzzo.
"The idea," Bilbao explains, "is to start strong and be competitive right from the start. I'll start racing in Australia. Then I'll do the Strade Bianche, the Tour of the Basque Country, and the Ardennes Classics. The main objective of the season will be the Tour de France. The first stages, in the Basque Country, are like home and I already know we will experience strong emotions. I will try to live the experience in the best way possible."
With the Grand Tour at home, it's understandable that Bilbao is at the start of the Tour, and all in all, this opens up a window of opportunity for Caruso to return to the Giro. It's reasonable to assume that Bahrain-Victorious could reshuffle its leaders.
Steel Contract
The incentive will be twofold for Pello: the Tour from home and a different calendar. If the goal is to grow, perhaps turning several second-place finishes into victories, it also means continuing to be consistent.
The Basque climber was 16th in the ranking thanks to his consistency UCI this year, the first of his team. He alone brought in around 13% of the points for the famous three-year period 2020-2021. Probably also for this reason he was offered the job in the summer a contract extension until 2024. Extension which he accepted.
