France hosts the 112th edition of the Tour de France. 3,338.8 km and a vertical drop of 52,500 meters spread over 21 stages, with two big favorites: Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, and a Catalan referee: Marc Soler. On Saturday, July 5, Lilla will kick off the competition with a stage finish at the same starting point. It will be three weeks of cycling through French soil, culminating on Sunday, July 27 in Paris. The Camps Elisis will once again be the final finish, after last year's Tour ended in Nice due to the Olympic Games.

"Paris-Roubaix is a horrible race, but winning it is magnificent," said cyclist Sean Kelly. "I never think I'll go back," said Italian Franco Barellini, although he did return and won. "It's crazy, this race. You work like a horse and don't even have time to pee. You end up with your jersey wet, it's dusty, you end up covered in mud, you slip... it's a real pain," said Dutchman Theo de Rooy in 1985. Here's what he said when asked: !".

His name occasionally appeared in conversations in many bars in Berguedà. Whether in the morning, when amateur cyclists were returning from pedaling and having a hearty breakfast, or in conversations that stretched into the early hours. They all talked about the Cannibal. Surely the greatest cyclist of all time, Eddy Merckx. The Belgian, five-time Tour de France winner, five-time Giro d'Italia winner, and three-time world champion. A collector of trophies and medals who never had enough. His name continued to be mentioned in the bars of Berguedà, where cycling is a hot topic. But more than a few people thought the veterans were exaggerating: had the best cyclist in the world really ridden there?

Often the things that mark our lives are determined by chance. In 2019, just a few days before the Vuelta Ciclista a Catalunya, the UAE Team Emirates team was left without a chef. They made contacts and ended up reaching out to Esteve Ramírez (Barcelona, ​​​​1990), who had worked in the kitchens of large restaurants and had training in sports nutrition. It was supposed to be a temporary solution, but today this Catalan chef has ended up in charge of feeding the team during the most important competitions. And this also includes the food for Tadej Pogacar, the winner of three Tours de France in the last five years.