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Interviews :: Pedro Delgado

Pedro Delgado, Grand Tour Champion

10 May 2005

Tour de France to Cyclotourist Rides

1988 Tour de France Winner, photo: PedroDelgado.com

Whether you're a Periquista or an Indurainista, you can't deny the impact that Pedro "Perico" Delgado has had on cycling. He was one of the classiest riders of his generation. He is also one heck of a nice guy. Delgado's palmarès include a Tour de France title and a couple of Vuelta a Españas as well as countless other victories. Read BiciRace.com's exclusive chat with Perico to find out what he's been up to since retirement.
Interviewed by Paco of BiciRace.com

Original Spanish Version

Riders and Directors

Pedro Delgado Decending, photo: PedroDelgado.com

BiciRace.com:  Thank you Pedro for giving BiciRace.com the opportunity to chat with you. Why don't we start with some of your thoughts on the modern day professional scene? Of the current crop of Spanish professionals, who do you see as having the physical characteristics necessary to win a race like the Tour de France?
Pedro Delgado:  Possibly Alberto Contador (Liberty Seguros-Würth). He's quite young but perhaps in a few years, if things go his way, he'll be a rider with a lot of options. He's a very strong climber and time trialer, which are the basic components necessary to win a major tour.
BR:  Yes, Contador is tough, as he showed us in Pais Vasco and Tour de Romandie. If you were the director of a rider like Jan Ullrich, in contrast to his current boss (Walter Godefroot) what would you do differently with him to realize his potential?
PD:  Being the director of Jan Ullrich I consider to be a very complicated job, because he's a very introverted person who is not very moldable or disciplined. It's very difficult to motivate great riders if they don't contribute some effort on their part. Ullrich is very conscious when he sees what is slipping away from him, but he doesn't have or doesn't want to have the ability to answer the challenge.
BR:  And for Ullrich to be one of the few serious challengers to Lance Armstrong, it is a shame he does not rise to the challenge. So, in your opinion, who is currently the best director sportivo? Why?
PD:  It is very difficult to give a name, since the director depends a lot on the budget and being able to have good riders at his disposal. Being Armstrong's boss doesn't require being a good director, rather it is more psychological and also knowing how to form a team around him that will get the results. In my opinion, of the directors I know, I like Vicente Belda the most. He has a very attacking race strategy and he thinks outside the box in a race situation. Those are things to appreciate with modern day cycling being so predictable and measured.

Personal Life

Pedro Delgado at 2004 Tour de France, photo: Capture- The-Peloton.com

BR:  As a child you had a lot of health problems. How is it that you were able to overcome those problems and come to dominate what is perhaps one of the most difficult sports there is?
PD:  Possible puberty is to blame. In the transition from boy to man the body suffers a lot of changes. I was somehow able to put those problems behind me.
BR:  Yes you did, winning a few grand tours along the way, like the 1988 Tour de France. But tell us about the best moment you have ever experienced on a bicycle in your career.
PD:  The answer is simple. The Champs Elysees in the 1988 Tour de France when I took the overall victory. Hearing my national anthem in Paris and seeing everyone's attention focused on me made me almost levitate on the podium.
BR:  And now you put part of your attention into a tough event. Every year since 1994 you've organized a cyclotourist event. Tell the BiciRace.com readers more about this exciting event.
PD:  It began in my city of Segovia, as an homage to myself put on by the local area cyclists. Since the first year it has been a huge success and year after year it's grown to the point where now almost 2000 cyclists participate. The riders take on 160kms with 4 tough mountain passes (the parcours uses a stage of the Vuelta a España as a point of reference).
I participate every year. Each year I seem to get slower and slower. Since the year I finished first I now ride to ensure that the 2000 participants are enjoying themselves. It is a truly tough course made tougher by the heat and it requires a good preparation in order to deal with the demanding parcours.
BR:  Finally, when you are not organizing the rides or commentating, you are a family man. Tell us about your family.
PD:  My wife's name is Ludy and I have three sons: Pedro, Alvaro and Pablo.
BR:  OK and thanks so much Pedro for speaking with BiciRace.com. It has been an absolute pleasure. We wish you the best of luck in everything.

To find out more about Pedro's career and his cyclotourist event, check him out on the web at PedroDelgado.com

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