Albert and the Lion

So, Alberto Contador managed it. As expected he won his third Tour de France. After yesterday’s time trial it was a done deal really. Unless he fell of his bike, he was bound to win. Various Spanish sports personalities – Rafa Nadal, Alonso, etc – sent him congratulatory telegrams YESTERDAY; that’s how unsurprising it was.

He and Andy Schleck indulged in a little media fun and games at an early point in today’s stage. They did a little bit of a breakaway so that they were the leaders – what those of us in the know call the tête de course – and then played around overtaking each other in turn, shaking hands and riding along with their hands on each other’s shoulders. What good friends these rivals are!!

Eventually they rejoined the main bunch – that’s the peloton to the cognoscenti – which gradually made its way into Paris itself, Contador’s Astana team being given pride of place for the grand entrance. Then the competition of the day began in earnest. As we knew already who was going to be the overall winner, it was more important to see who could win today’s stage. Would it be Petacchi who won the opening time trial and was the first to wear the yellow jersey in 2010? As it turned out, no. In the end UK honour was vindicated and our boy Mark Cavendish made it across the finish line in first place. His fifth stage win in this Tour! Oh, what joy! What pride! (Oh dear, can you see my tongue in my cheek so clearly?)

Anyway, Alberto got to go up on the podium and get his new yellow jersey and yet another Tour de France lion. On the Spanish TV coverage of the Tour they have offered viewers the chance to put questions to the presenter and to Pedro Delgado, former Tour winner and now sports commentator. One optimistic viewer really fancied getting hold of a Tour de France lion and asked how he could do so. Oh, it’s easy, said Pedro Delgado, all you have to do is become the leader in the Tour de France. What a joker he turned out to be! It seems he was correct though; the only way to get one is to be the wearer of the yellow jersey. Now, I wonder what they do with them. Do they add to their winnings by selling them on E-Bay? After all, there are only so many yellow lions you can sit on shelves in your bedroom.

So Alberto went up onto the podium, all smiles, and took his cap off as the Spanish national anthem was played. Apparently the royal family sent him a congratulatory telegram. Well, personally I think that’s a bit of a let down. When la selección was playing in the final of the World Cup the queen was there. So were Prince Felipe and Letizia. South Africa is alot further away than France. It won’t do.

If I were a Spanish cyclist I would feel rather like a second class sports citizen. If I were Alberto I would feel that a measly lion really wasn’t enough. I know that the King and Queen were busy this morning but they could easily have caught a plane from Santiago to Paris in time for the finish. There must be budget flights that cover that route, even on a Sunday. And besides, what were the rest of the royal family up to? Not good enough!!!

The king and queen were busy in Santiago this morning. Today is the 25th of July, feast of Saint James, a special day for all those pilgrims who have trudged to Santiago de Compostela, especially this year which is, as I have commented before, a special year, an año santo, a holy year when the feast falls on a Sunday. Last night at midnight the façade of the cathedral exploded into an amazing fireworks display. This morning there were special services inside the cathedral. Security must have been up to the maximum with Juan Carlos and Sofía attending.

In his address, the king is reported to have asked for Santiago to help to resolver las dificultades which are affecting daily life in Spain and to resolver cuanto antes la grave crisis ecomómica.

Well, that’s all right then. We can expect the general situation in Spain to start improving at once!