The tour of a centenary rock: "When they came in '65 I was already cycling, but now I also stop for breakfast"

BarcelonaIt's Tuesday and it's a quarter to eight in the evening. At the back of the Can Felipa Civic Center, in Poblenou, Barcelona, five men are chatting. They are discussing and pointing at a copy of the magazine Ciclismo a Fondo.. "We've all been part of the club for over 30 years and we do this every week because we love it," admits Jaume Llopart, president of the Penya Ciclista del Poble Nou, founded in 1929. "We're always talking about bikes, what they're doing, the stage, the start... and of course, now the Tour," explains Llopart.

Carles Garcia also sits at the table. He is 78 years old and still goes out cycling with the club every weekend. "When the Tour came in 1965, I was already cycling and a member of the club. Now I still go out every weekend, but mostly, I stop for breakfast," he says, laughing. He remembers the start of a Tour stage in the Catalan capital sixty years ago, saying the experience was "very different from now": "Pérez Francés — a cyclist who later worked in a bike shop in Poblenou itself — won and broke away very quickly, but at the end, we picked up a Dutch team because they didn't have a bus back then like they do now, and we took them to a hotel in Pelai and they gave us all sorts of gifts: a water bottle, jerseys, a bag... That can't happen now."

Although all five admit they won't watch the Tour together —"we used to do it more, but now there are fewer and fewer people from the club who are from Poblenou and in the end everyone has a TV at home," says García— the club will indeed have a role in the Tour in Barcelona. "They've asked the historic clubs in the city to lead each team in the presentation," explains the president. However, only three cyclists from each club will be able to go. Who will go? "The authority has decided," they all say, laughing and pointing at the president. They have chosen three profiles, a young cyclist —Eric—, a girl —Zazu—, and a veteran who is also sitting at the table: Ferran Mestre.

As he explains it, a new debate opens up at the table. "Which jersey will you wear?" asks Llopart. "I wanted to wear the old one, but I don't have the shorts and Eric's are too big for me," replies Mestre. "They've also told us we can go in cycling shoes, but I don't want to because it doesn't look very good..." continues the veteran. "Man, if you wear the clips, you'll fall," warns Antoni Marín, one of the youngest in the club, even though he's already 63.

Beyond the presentation, the Penya Ciclista del Poble Nou, like other cycling clubs in Catalonia, will have a reserved space to watch the Tour as it passes through the streets of Barcelona. "There is room for everyone, but it's true that if you are there at the end, it's all a blink and you miss it", explains the president, who in his case has also been invited to the gala dinner. Regarding who they are most excited to see, there is also a diversity of opinions: "Well, there's this super-series rider, Pogacar," says one, while another replies, "yes, but watch out for Vingegaard, eh." "And now there's this Frenchman, Seixas, whom Indurain says has chances," adds another.

Cycling clubs, in danger

Despite the enthusiasm of the club members —they continue to go out every weekend "religiously"—, they do not hide an evident concern shared with a large part of the clubs: "People are no longer interested in being part of the club and when I leave I don't know what will happen", laments Llopart. "But until 2029, to celebrate the centenary, we will surely hold on, eh", insists Garcia. They explain that the difficulties in having a venue —they have been to Casino de l'Aliança and a bar before arriving at Can Felipa— and in organizing activities, and the change in how people relate to each other, is putting cycling groups under pressure.

"When I was an apprentice, there was a gentleman who had been a cyclist and he lent me a bike that still had a wooden rim and I went out. I saw that there were people in Poblenou clothes who went out on weekends and I got encouraged, but now things don't work like that anymore", says Garcia. Llopart also explains that for him it was "a piece of cake" when he met one of the fathers of his daughter's nursery school who also cycled. "Now they do everything on their mobile and on the internet. They arrange to meet on WhatsApp or Instagram and go out on our road and there are 50 or 60 of them, but they don't do anything else, they don't even stop for breakfast", comments Garcia.

However, the cyclists of the Penya Ciclista del Poble Nou continue to organize outings that go beyond cycling to build community: "We haven't for a while now, but we used to have calçotadas and we organize cultural outings where families also come and so we stick together," explains the president.