Interview - Laura Meseguer (cycling journalist)

Laura Meseguer.

The last couple of months this site has been getting a lot of visitors searching for "Laura Meseguer" on Google and other search engines. It seems like Laura is everywhere these days, so to sum what is happening, I made the following interview with her today.

Laura, first of all. For those people who have been sleeping the last couple of months, can you just quickly tell who you are?
Sure. I'm a Spanish cycling journalist who works for the magazine Pedalier Pro. I also work for the cycling micro site of Festina and for the cycling tourist race Mallorca 312. This is my 5th year working with cycling and I’m still learning everyday.

You seem to be everywhere these days. What is happening?
I don't know! I'm just doing my job behind the computer and at the races. A Belgian cycling magazine, CycloSprint, showed interest in interview with me a few weeks ago and of course I agreed to do that. I'm a bit surprised about it, because I really don't think my life can be interesting for an interview like that, but I feel very pleased with the attention.

Laura Meseguer (right) in the studio for Giro d'Italia
broadcasting last year for Spanish television.

Last year you were on Spanish TV, co-commentating one of the Giro d'Italia stages. Do you think that started this whole thing?
I don't think so. I think that the social networks are responsible for connecting persons all over the world. Especially the communicators. The truth is that when I write or tweet something I don't truly realize the amount of people who is reading it. In these years of social networking you are much more aware of how many people actually read your stuff and the response is almost immediately which makes it more demanding. It amazes me to see how many people that read what I write and it makes me more responsible as a journalist.

If we look at some of your work. In your opinion what is the best interview you have done so far?
I learned a lot when I interviewed Jens Voigt recently. It will be in the next edition of Pedalier Pro. I enjoyed that interview very much. Voigt is a great person and I took many of the things he said as an learning experience. I can't reveal much since it's not published yet, but I can say that I learned a lot of ‘sayings’ talking with Voigt.

To be honest, I enjoy all that I write for Pedalier Pro. It is a magazine where my way of writing and my view on cycling unite perfectly. To mention one article, I like the one I wrote about the Track Cycling World Champions; "Reyes de la Pista, príncipes de la carretera" [Kings of the track, princes of the road]. Another one is "El show debe continuar?" [The show must continue?]. It was a piece I wrote for my personal blog and I got a lot of positive feedback on that one. Of course, first of all, I write to inform, no to please, but I was very touched by the riders commenting on the article with such kind words.

The cover of CycloSprint.

As you said, Belgian cycling magazine, CycloSprint, made a big interview with you this month. Did you expect it to be on the front cover with Fabian Cancellara?
Never! I think Fabian Cancellera deserves to be there a lot more than me. If you ask me, I don't think that the any journalist should be on the front cover.

Recently you even found an article about yourself in the Belgian newspapers Net Nieuwsblad, you are famous now...
That was a surprise. I really didn't expect that! I was a little scared about it, also because I don't understand the language. Though, my Belgian colleagues have told me that the article was positive and respectful and didn't lack a sense of humor, so I can only be grateful.

The article about Laura in
Net Nieuwsblad recently.

How have the feedback been the last couple of months? 
It's always positive, which is the most important for me. Still, I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. I have spent many years preparing to be a good journalist or communicator. I don't want to be a part of what is very popular in Spain these years with "young female sport journalists". I think I started to work with cycling a long time before this new fashion. I want to be professional in my way of working and I don't want to be anywhere thanks to anything but that.

So what do you tell those who compare you to Sara Carbonero [TV-reporter and girl friend of Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas]?
That is exactly what I'm referring to. I don't think the two of us have anything in common at all. I think she made a mistake of converting herself into a product on an TV-station who really knows how to "sell products". It’s problem when you act like a product and still want to be taking serious as a journalist. I don't feel I belong on TV but if so it should be on a serious network that doesn't sell the women as entertainment products but as the real reporters we are.

Do you have any plans of doing TV in the near future?
Not right now, but you never know what will happen in the future. For example I never thought I would end up working with cycling either! In any case it would be something serious in the area of reporting or interviewing, which I like to do so much.

So what is next? Where are we going to see Laura Meseguer pop up next time?
I'll be at some stages of Vuelta a Castilla y León then Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Mallorca312 and maybe Giro d' Italia. After that I'll have a break and rest, like the riders, before I'll start again with the Tour de France, Vuelta a Burgos, Vuelta a España and the World Champions. I don't know about the Olympics yet. We will see.

In case you didn't do it already, you can follow Laura Meseguer on Twitter via @Laura_Meseguer

Paris-Roubaix: Pozzato wins!

Get ready to see Filippo Pozzato rock those
cobblestones on Sunday the 8th of April!

As you can see I’ve once gain changed the set-up. Instead of listing a couple of my favorites, I rather want to explain why I think Filippo Pozzato will win this year’s Paris-Roubaix.

Would you have picked Pozzato to take second place in Ronde Van Vlaanderen less than 2 months after he broke his collarbone? Well, I was impressed! And I think he has another top performance ready for us this Sunday.

Ever since Milano-San Remo this year Filippo Pozzato has consistently been among the best riders in all the races he has participated in. 6th in Milano-San Remo, 6th in Dwars door Vlaanderen, 9th in Gent-Wevelgem and 2nd in Ronde van Vlaanderen last weekend. Especially last Sunday he showed how strong he is right now, when he dropped Boonen on the last part of Paterberg. In the end it seemed like Pozzato had a too much faith in his own sprint but I doubt he will make this mistake again. If the Italian Playboy wants to win Paris-Roubaix he needs to get rid of Tom Boonen before the Velodrome and even though that may seem as an impossible task, I think he can do it. And what is more important, so do Pozzato.

Filippo Pozzato broke his collarbone
less than two months ago.

Like every year Pozzato is super motivated for Paris-Roubaix and with his 2nd place from 2009 and 7th from 2010 he sure knows how to handle himself on the cobblestones. Last year he was right up there with the best after Forest of Arenberg, but unfortunately Pozzato had bike problems and since his team car had punctured earlier on, there was no one left to help the Italian.

The way I see it, Filippo Pozzato is the second strongest rider right now. As predicted in December, Tom Boonen is back, and only a fool wouldn’t pick him out a the biggest favorite for Paris-Roubaix. So why don’t I think he will win it again? Well, the truth is that I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. Boonen has the strongest team of all with Chavanel and Terpstra to play out in the final, but without Fabian Cancellara in the race, everyone now looks at Quickstep to take control – and that’s why I think Pozzato has a good chance of winning. Everyone wants to attack Tom Boonen and if he uses up his team mates too early, since ‘why should anybody else take control of the race?’, it will open up for a hectic finale. Ballan, Flecha, Van Summeren, Vanmarcke, Boom, Oss, Paolini, Devolder etc etc are all strong riders who aren’t afraid of attacking and why would any other team want to chase down a breakaway just to see Tom Boonen outsprint them in the final? (To put it simple).

Pozzato's gesture to Ballerini
who died in car accident in 2010.

I think Filippo Pozzato will stay in the wheel of Tom Boonen for most of the race but in the end I think he will give a go. And if Pozzato first gets a good gap he just showed it takes one of the strongest riders in the world to catch him.

Another aspect is Franco Ballerini. In 2010 Pozzato crossed the finish line, as Italian champion, showing a picture of the late Ballerini and this year he wants to do more. “I want to win Paris-Roubaix for Franco”, Pozzato recently told La Gazzetta and that’s the same spirit we find at the Farnese Vini team. DS Luca Scinto rode, like Pozzato, with Ballerini at Mapei back in the days and Scinto is sure the team will get extra strength on Sunday. “That day we will be racing in nine, instead of eight”, he told velonews after Ronde van Vlaanderen. So there it is. My pick for Paris-Roubaix: Filippo Pozzato! If I had to mention a few outsiders I would tell you all to look out for Lars Boom (Rabobank), Bernhard Eisel (Team Sky) and Italian sprinter Danielle Bennati (Radioshack).

Déjà-vu finish called off

If you were watching today’s final kilometers in Vuelta Pais Vasco, I could imagine you were having the same thoughts as me when Daryl Impey attack and team mate Allan Davis started his sprint. “Would Davis do like Kim Kirchen in 2008?” – For a long time I thought he would, but luckily for Daryl Impey he managed to do what Morris Possini couldn’t do 4 years ago and ended up winning the stage.

Kim Kirchen passing Possoni on the final
meters and takes the stage win in 2008.

For those (few, I hope) who don’t know what I’m talking about, let me explain. The last time Vuelta Pais Vasco had a stage finish in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Morris Possoni had been in a long breakaway the whole stage and looked like he would take the stage even though the peloton got very close on the final few hundred meters. With just 25 meters to go the young Italian seemed to have secured the stage win, but on the final meters the peloton caught the breakaway and team mate Kim Kirchen passed Possoni and snatched the stage win.

Today Allan Davis was just about to do the same, but this time history didn’t repeat itself and Daryl Impey took his first victory this season.

Tomorrow we have the traditional stage finish on Arrate. Overall favorite Samuel Sanchez has won this stage the last two years in a row and is once again the big favorite. Will he manage to make a hat-trick?

Favorites for Ronde van Vlaanderen

Finally. I think that’s the most fitting word for a preview of this amazing race. I don’t need to write why Ronde van Vlaanderen is such a fantastic race, reading this blog, you obviously know quite a bit about cycling already.

Instead let’s take a look at the riders who are going to animate the race this Sunday.

Fabian Cancellara
If you want to bet on this race, you better bet on Fabian. For me he is the biggest favorite. He may not always ride very smart tactically, but you simply can’t ignore the fact that he is the strongest rider in the bunch. The race is extra hard this year with difficult laps ending with Paterberg so the chances of an ‘early’ breakaway with ‘secondary riders’ to stay away are very low. I think a small group of maximum 10 riders will get away in the last part of the race and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Cancellara just said good bye to the rest of the favorites like in Strade Bianche and went solo without even attacking. As you can see I feel pretty confident picking Spartacus as winner of Ronde van Vlaanderen 2012.

Sep Vanmarcke
If you watched Dwars door Vlaandere and E3 Harelbeke you saw Sep Vanmarcke being one of, if not the strongest rider in the peloton. Everytime one of the favorites tried to attack, Vanmarcke was the first rider to follow. Vanmarcke has already shown he can stay with the favorites – and beat them – when he outsprinted Tom Boonen and won Omloop and if he shows same strength on Sunday as he has been showing the last couple of weeks he should be a strong candidate for the podium!

Tom Boonen
I said it back in December last year I still stand by those words. Tom Boonen is back! He has the strongest team - without any doubts whatsoever - and he can outsprint any of the other favorites if it should come down to a sprint. So why isn’t he my number one favorite? Because of his (lack of) tactical sense. Boonen often tends to show off too much and waste a lot of energies early in the race or he ends up working too hard in the end. He made that mistake in Omloop and he paid for it. I would be happy to see Tom Boonen win Ronde van Vlaanderen once again, but against Cancellara, who hungers for revenge from last year, I really have my doubts.

Matti Breschel
Another great rider who is back again is Matti Breschel. Being one of the strongest riders in 2010 “dancing, almost whistling up the hills” (words of Gilbert) his 2011-season got ruined by one injury after the other. Matti showed in Volta Algarve that his sprinting legs are back in shape and in Milano – San Remo he was just a few meters short of joining the winning trio on Poggio. In E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem he seems to miss the last few percentages on the hills but still managed to get 11th and 3rd in the final sprint. Matti Breschel knows how important it is for Rabobank finally go get a big win this season and normally he works very well under pressure. I think (and hope) he will able to stay with the best on Sunday and even though he may not win, top5 should be a safe bet.

Björn Leukemans
Last up among my personal favorites and outsiders for the win in Ronde van Vlaanderen is Björn Leukemans. Vacansoleil-DCM has been outstanding this season and if they can take that with them to the cobblestone classics, team leader Björn Leukemans is a man to watch out for. Last year he was great with top10 in all four Sunday-classics and that even despite having a lot of bad luck. Leukemans recently said he is living like a munch the last weeks up to the big races. Sleeping alone, going to bed hungry and not inviting his friends around if they are just remotely close to getting sick. “I don’t have the talent like Cancellara and Boonen so I have to do everything else that I can”, he explained. In E3 Harelbeke he made the front group with Cancellara, Boonen, Pozzato and Vanmarcke and that shows the shape is there. I don’t expect Leukemans to win this race, but like with Matti Breschel, I think he is good pick for a top5 spot.

Exceptional authorization

Yesterday we learned that Alexander Kolobnev could come back riding for Katusha, despite the Russian team not having any space for him with a full roster. UCI made a so-called "exceptional authorization" and now Kolobnev is free to ride as soon as he is fully recovered from his injury.

I was joking about it with a good friend of mine ending up with him sending me this fake screen play about how UCI President Pat McQuaid went from hunting down Kolobnev to letting him return on a exceptional authorization.

I wasn't really sure about uploading this one, but hey let's have some fun! Look at this as an early April Fool's Day story - I promise they won't be any from me on Sunday with Ronde van Vlaanderen going on.

You can download the fake screen play as PDF by clicking here.

[Press the BLUE download button in order to download]

Look out for Luke

Another time trial victory could end up
giving Luke Durbridge the overall win
in this year's Driedaagse De Panne.

Australian young-gun, Luke Durbridge, made his European season debut in Driedaagse De Panne today (Tuesday) and despite not having been racing on the road since Tour Down Under, he showed great shape and managed to stay in the front group. That means that current Australian & U-23 World Champion now has great chances of getting a good overall result in the Belgian stage race.

Both the second and third stage will most likely end up in a mass sprint and that means that the GC will be set on the time trial the final day. 14,7 km in De Panne should be perfect for Luke Durbridge and according to team manager Matt White it could very well end up with yet another overall win for GreenEDGE.

“There is no reason why he won't win the time trial. It's made for him. As long as he gets through the other stages alive, he'll be fine”, White told cyclingnews before the race started.

To me the big favorite for the overall win in Driedaagse De Panne is still Lieuwe Westra, being one of the absolute strongest on stage1, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Luke Durbrdige managed to take a podium spot in his first professional European race ever.

No luck for Team Saxo Bank

It really doesn't seem like Team Saxo Bank will ever catch a break. In their fight for crucial UCI points they came to Volta Catalunya with a strong team lead by Dani Navarro, Jesus Hernandez and Chris Anker Sørensen. All strong riders for a hilly stage race but apparently nothing goes how it supposed to for the Danish team. Hernandez withdrew early with a muscle injury, Navarro never recovered from his illness and did the same and when Chris Anker Sørensen finally got in the right breakaway and looked to move up in the classification, the race organizers decided to get everybody the same time.

For Team Saxo Bank every UCI point counts if they want to keep their license and naturally they weren't satisfied with the race organizers' decision. After the stage they planned a meeting the next morning to hand in an official complain, but again something got in their way.

Team Saxo Bank bus and team car this morning.
Photo by: Laura Meseguer

As the picture by Spanish journalist Laura Meseguer shows, the snowy conditions didn't allow Team Saxo Bank to get down from the mountain to meet with the race orginazers. Therefore an official complain about yesterday's decision were never given by the Danish team.

The only positive thing for Team Saxo Bank is that Chris Anker Sørensen got the mountain jersey yesterday so at least they have one positive memory from Volta Catalunya. Time will tell if they will get more from the remaining stages.