The Astana cyclist David of the Cross (Sabadell, 1989) is resting these days in his hometown after the difficult Giro d’Italia, which he had to leave in the final stage, and face the second half of the season with goal of the fight for the podium at the Vuelta Ciclista a España.
In an interview with EFE after attending the centenary event of the Sabadell Cycling Union, the Catalan cyclist reviewed the first phase of the year in which he did not give his best version.
“This is really hard Giroit has been difficult for me to run in this race and this year is even worse, I have to put a little bit of distance and rest to prepare for the second half of the season ”, he pointed out.
De la Cruz, 33, is the poster child for a deceased cyclist. He started practicing basketball and especially athletics until, at the age of 17, he realized he couldn’t afford to emulate his idol Hicham El Gerrouj.
One day he bought a road bike to go to work and his life was ruined because of the flat tire. “That moment was unfortunate, but it became major. I went to Ciclos Trujillo to fix it and that’s where its manager Antonio Trujillo bet on me. He opened the doors for me to find my first team, and also gave me the opportunity to combine competition with working with him. He was the person who marked me the most, “he recalled.
In this sense, he acknowledges that his case could serve “as an inspiration for a 17-year-old boy who thinks it’s never too late to devote himself to cycling.”
In his career after starting at Caja Rural, he played for top teams in the peloton such as Sky (now Ineos), Tadej Pogacar’s UAE and, since this year, he has been part of Colombian Miguel Ángel López’s Astana.
“Being with tall cyclists Chris Froome, Tadej Pogacar, Egan Bernal, Mark Cavendish, Tom Boon, Tony Martin, Julian Alaphillippe, Michal Kwiatkowski, Vicenzo Nibali or Miguel Angel López has raised me as a cyclist and as a people ”, lift others.
De la Cruz introduced himself at the 2016 Vuelta a España, when he won a stage in Alto del Naranco after which he wore the red jersey. He eventually finished seventh, the same position where he finished the 2020 and 2021 rounds.
This year he will be one of the leaders of Astana in the Spanish round. “I really look forward to La Vuelta and my goal each year is to be as high as possible or win a stage ”said the cyclist from Sabadell, who added that his “dream” was to “get to the podium”.
And he analyzes, in this sense, his options: “In the last great laps, it was repeated that the first won with a big difference, as happened in Pogacar, while the second is near. But the difference between the third and ninth is small. Everything was decided in small details and that’s where I think I need to improve to get to the podium at Vuelta. “
On the future of cycling, De la Cruz highlights the evolution the sport has experienced in recent years. “Everything is more millimetric with applications that tell you almost everything and you don’t see the‘ birds ’that happened a few years ago.
Asked about the Spanish cycling situation that lacks referents fighting for victories on stage, he thinks it’s because of the “internationalization” of the sport. “Before cycling was things of four or five countries. It was the globalization of cycling. In recent years, Slovenia with Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic have won a lot, but we have (in Spain) a very good rider. ”
Source: La Verdad
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