January is cider bar month. The relay handover ceremony with a sponsor usually takes place in the middle of the relay. In the province of Guipúzcoa, ETS singer Iñigo Etxezarreta was responsible on Wednesday. Last year in Álava the honor went to filmmaker Paul Urkijo. Yesterday it was Mikel Landa who tasted the first Alava cider in Kuartango. There are two more in the province: that of Askartza and that of Iturrieta. The menu that usually accompanies these events consists of chorizo with apple cider, cod scrambled eggs, cod taco, txuletón and cheese with walnuts.
Mikel Landa comes from Murgia but now lives in Amurrio. Almost equidistant from the two cities lies Kuartango, in another transverse valley. The cyclist's mother comes from exactly this region. Landa appeared in sportswear and a yellow down jacket. He took a break from his training and spent some time in the cider cellar this town. With accordion music and a sensational atmosphere, one of the metal kupelas (barrels) was opened and the first splash of cider of the season in Álava was tasted.
Between the province's three apple and cider producers, 180,000 kilos of apples were collected and after pressing, 120,000 liters of cider remained. According to Benito Peciña, head of Kuartango, “the quality is very good this year.” In addition, thanks to the altitude of Álava, it is possible to avoid the damage caused by fungi the productions of Guipúzcoa and the French Basque Country. In some establishments, such as Peciña, the offer has been diversified and they also offer vermouth cider or sloe cider, which won awards at the Gijón International Cider Fair.
Mikel Landa will start his season in Portugal with the Algarve race. Then he will appear in the Volta a Cataluña and the Basque Itzulia, he will ride in the Ardennes, he will compete in the Dauphine and he will work for Remco Evenepoel in the Tour. It is planned for the second part of the season Take part in the Vuelta and fight for the podium in Madrid. In the meantime, he is considering the options of the World Cup or the Paris Olympics, although hosting the French event does not favor him too much. This year they will provide his services to the Belgian Soudal-Quick Step.
Follow that Diario AS channel on WhatsAppwhere you will find all the sport in a single place: the latest news of the day, the agenda with the latest news on the most important sporting events, the most outstanding images, the opinion of the best AS brands, reports, videos and, why no, now and then also a little humor.
