Dubai Tour: BMC's Sanchez still raring to go in his 18th season as a pro

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  • Evergreen: Samuel Sanchez. (Getty)

    Just a few days ago, the world watched a 35-year-old Serena Williams defeat her 36-year-old sister Venus in the Australian Open final, before a 35-year-old Roger Federer overcame a 31-year-old Rafael Nadal in the men’s title showdown.

    The quartet’s exploits Down Under were awe-inspiring to say the least but they’re not the only athletes out there pulling off age-defying feats.

    Spanish rider Samuel Sanchez turns 39 this Sunday and continues to compete at the top echelons of his sport. The 2008 Olympic road race champion and 2010 Tour de France runner-up is into his 18th season as a professional cyclist and his fourth with BMC Racing Team.

    While the days of him competing for Grand Tour titles are behind him, Sanchez is still competing at a high level. Last year, he claimed a stage and sixth overall at Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco and placed fourth at Liege-Bastonge-Leige. He was in contention for a top-10 finish at the Vuelta a Espana but crashed out in the penultimate stage.

    Irrespective of results, Sanchez insists it is his passion for the sport that keeps him going after so many years battling in the peloton.

    “I love my work and every day I love riding a bicycle,” Sanchez told Sport360° at BMC sponsors Tag Heuer’s booth at the Dubai Tour Fan Village. “It’s special for me. I remember when I was 15, my dream was to be a professional cyclist and ride in the Tour de France. And now when I look back, big palmares (achievements), biggest stars in the world of cycling, I love this job.”

    The five-time Vuelta a Espana stage winner takes inspiration from other sportsmen who continue to excel late in their careers.

    “Valentino Rossi is 38, no?” Sanchez points out, referring to the Italian seven-time MotoGP world champion.

    With career longevity comes a necessary adjustment in goals and expectations and Sanchez is well of aware of his limitations now.

    “Now, with my age, winning the Vuelta a Espana or Tour de France, it’s impossible, it’s not a real objective for me,” he concedes. “But when I work hard and stay focused, maybe I can fight in the bigger tours for the first five positions, maybe fight for one stage, maybe get a lot of points for the WorldTour. I think it’s a perfect objective for me. Now I have a lot of experience, less energy maybe, but a lot of experience. And experience in life is more important than energy.”

    Sanchez has been valuable to BMC in many ways and is considered a mentor to the young riders on the squad. Prior to his move to the American outfit in 2014, Sanchez had spent his entire professional career with the now-disbanded Basque team of  Euskaltel-Euskadi. He admits the transition to BMC after 13 years with his home team was not easy.

    Sanchez and Sport360's Reem Abulleil (Pic by Chris Whiteoak)

    Sanchez and Sport360’s Reem Abulleil (Pic by Chris Whiteoak)

    “When I arrived to BMC, I could barely speak English. And now, every year, my English is getting better and better,” he explained.

    “My mentality has changed, it has opened. I only stayed in one team, in a small team in Spain.

    “So the first few months it was difficult for me, changing the language, changing my team-mates, new sports director… everything was different. But with time, every day my feeling got more and more comfortable. And now they’re my team, my family, I’m a BMC rider and I’m motivated and happy.”

    Sanchez is a frequent visitor to Dubai, where he has friends and family, and this is his second Dubai Tour. He admits there are many advantages to riding in the Gulf.

    “The problem in cycling is that we are too many riders, riding on small roads, in bad weather with wet asphalt. But here (in Dubai), none of these are factors. The roads are big, the hotels are great, the organisation is so good, the stages are perfect and not dangerous, not many corners. It’s special for us to come to this part of the world,” said Sanchez.

    “It’s very different. Normally cycling is all in Europe and now the WorldTour has expanded and cycling is international. Fifteen or 20 years ago when I started my career it was impossible to imagine we can come to here with a bicycle. And now it’s classic no? Dubai Tour, Abu Dhabi Tour, Oman, Qatar, Worlds last year… it’s good.”

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