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  Striving for yellow Olano needs to climb his way to victory
Posted: Friday July 10, 1998 05:41 PM
Special from L'Equipe, the French sports daily PARIS (L'Equipe) -- Fourth last year, Spain's time trial champion has worked hard at becoming a better climber and thus getting a shot at a Tour de France victory. A serene Abraham Olano is all too careful to talk about the yellow jersey in earnest. "Of course it's my main goal, but Jan Ullrich and Bjarne Riis have won the Tour de France. I haven't," he said. He prefers to say modestly that he's ready to tackle the Tour, for which he'sbeen preparing since last winter. There isn't a hill or mountain in the Pyrénées and Alps on the Tour de France's program that he hasn't climbed up at least once. There isn't a key stage, such as the time trial in Corrèze, two days before the first climbs in the Pyrénées, that he hasn't reconnoitered minutely. The Tour is a tradition for his Banesto team, and Olano has gotten caught up inthe game since he first competed in it, in 1996. The former world champion,who's as rigorous as it gets and never is satisfied with himself, has done hisbest to get better results on the Tour this year. The main reason he came infourth overall last year is his difficulties in altitude, and it is not known,to this day, if he's become a better climber. Knowing how hard-working and stubborn he is, it is possible that Olano will fare better in the mountains this year. The fact that he showed up for last year's Tour de France after a serious fall in the Dauphiné Libéré, which he was in the process of winning, and that he'd trained too hard just before the Tour, can only make that certainty stronger.
He was then advised by doctor Ferrari, and since then has returned to his doctor/trainer of old, Inaki Arratibel. Arratibel tried to convince Olano thathe should have his tonsils removed, because of repetitive sinus and lung infections. He was successful, and Olano hasn't had any problems during thewinter or spring. When he went for his tonsilectomy, Olano met another doctor, an endocrinologistwho taught him how to eat. Weight has always been his worst enemy. The 170 pound rider weighed 196 pounds when he became a professional, in 1992, and says he will weigh 152 pounds by the end of the Tour without losing any power in theprocess. This series of details, added to the sacrifices he makes every year, makes himone of the Tour's favorites. "Behind Ullrich and Riss, there's a small group ofus fighting with the same chances. I consider I don't have anything less thanRichard Virenque, Laurent Dufaux, Alex Zuelle, Marco Pantani, Fernando Escartin or Francesco Casagrande, for instance, even though they dominated me in the mountains last year," Olano said. Olano, who has a tendency to accelerate only if his heart rate monitor allowshim to, is showing great confidence. "I put myself through a major test in theBicicleta Vasca, at the end of May. There, I saw that I was cruising in themountains even though the pace was very high. I also won the time trial and therace. Since then, I've known that I am on the right path, and by working evenmore, I could only improve," he said. Olano climbed up even more hills. He made a lot of sacrifices, as usual,spending almost eight hours climbing the Tourmalet and Peyresourde three weeks after being unable to do so because of snow. But his efforts were put into question during the Tour of Catalonia, in which he couldn't keep his overall lead in the last two mountain stages. How will he fare July 21, in the Tour de France's first stage in the Pyrénnées?To this day, nobody can say that he will one day find the key to a Tour deFrance victory. Copyright (c) 1998 L'Equipe
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