Spanish translation" "Yeah, Baby!!!!"
Not speaking a world of Spanish other than cerveza and bano, deciphering stage 19 winner Juan Jose Cobo’s post race comments was tough. Twisted Spoke did catch the word “duro” which means hard or difficult. That word and the happy, lap dog tongue he stuck out as he crossed the finish line pretty much tells the story. Difficult but joyous.
Cobo won from a select group of all the favorites except Robert Gesink, who slid off the podium due to the after effects of his crash several days ago. Valverde, Evans, Mosquera, Basso and Sanchez formed an elite group heading into La Granja, Real Fábrica de Cristales — which is Spanish for “town-with-the-crazy-long name. Mr. Cobo crashed their party. When he attacked in the final kilometer, no one answered. Valverde and Evans followed Cobo home for second and third, bonus seconds that put Valverde even further ahead of Sanchez and Basso for the overall classification.
Is the Vuelta over? Will soon-to-be-disgraced doper Alejandro Valverde be crowned the champion? Yes, si, adios amigos. What is the Spanish word for scandal?
(More to come after I pick up my sick kid from school.)
FYI, the name of the town is just 'La Granja'. Real Fábrica de Cristales is Spanish for Royal Glassworks Factory, an 18th century factory turned into a museum just beside the stage finish line.