He might have finished second in the Vuelta a Espana to Vincenzo Nibali but would you recognise Ezequiel Mosquera if he walked past you in the street? Here’s a test. Three riders from the Xacobeo Galicia are pictured above, which one is Mosquera?
I’m sure some of you will get the answer so here is a tie-breaker. Do you know what sponsor Xacobeo is all about? Is it:
a) a brand of agricultural fertiliser
b) a biscuit/cookie manufacturer
c) a religious festival
I’m sure some readers, especially the Spanish ones, will know this but at the same time, not everyone. Mosquera was due to ride the Giro but it seems he’s almost never left the Iberian peninsula to race… this will change as he’s supposed to have signed with Dutch squad Vacansoleil.
answers later today
I think I know which one he is but I won't spoil. But the team sponsor, no idea.
Well, I'm gonna give it try.
Mosquera is the one on the left.
But the sponsor….Well, looking at the logo and the addition of the year I'd guess c). Also since the other sponsor is the region Galicia or their touristic marketing organization or whatever it is called it would fit.
A bit mean but you have a point, I know nothing about this guy but he's just come second in a grand tour and has other performances to his name.
The second anonymous wins, that is him on the left. But he's not exactly a household name in Europe and as a cycling fan, I know little about the man, his life story and more.
As for the sponsor, yes it is a religous festival and a promotional effort for the section of the Santiago de Compostella path that runs through Galicia, the northern region of Spain.
As the most dour of the three, it was no challenge to spot Mosquera. I would not call that tranquilo, but his face is certainly difficult to read.
Wee, I win.
Well, He has shown good efforts in the vuelta for some time and is a great climber, but I guess the vuelta is often overlooked, I guess it is the landscape. A "boring" transitional stage at the tour or the giro is still damn pretty but in spain there are some huge desert like areas just not eye candy.
But what surprised me this year was his final TT. I mean Nibali's win would have been less in question if he didn't have the flat tyre but still Mosquera did better than I expected.
Well done for the win.
As you say Spain can look empty but remember too that the race takes place in September whereas the Tour rolls though France in July when many are on holiday, which flatters the roadside attendance.
I'll try and reflect on the Vuelta another day, I think 3 weeks might be too much but that's going to be controversial.
IR: I'm not talking about the people in the streets, because despite not being holidays whenever the passed the cities there were huge crowds, from that point it looked really good. And nobody would go into the deserts even if there were holidays, it's (at times) just for the people at TV screens not as attractive as the Giro or the Tour.