At work, it turns the world around.

Indeed. This year I have a lighter calendar, I will alternate a week out, a week at home. From January to October I spent an average 220 days absent. It's many days. I have a young child and this year it will be harder to walk outside the house. Anyway, I don't see myself in a study. I love my job.

Do not forget that you are in one of the best cycling teams in the world.

I started the road in Caja Rural as a professional masseur, and for me it was a great school. I've been making a way to get to the highest level. When I have bad moments, raising my head helps me a lot. “Joseba, look where and with whom you are working,” I say among myself. Everything you have to do to be here is worth it.

Was it clear from the beginning that I wanted to dedicate myself to the world of cycling?

Since I was a kid, I've had the bicycle very present. His father has been passionate about cycling. Marino Lejarreta was an idol. I got the hobby and when I was five years old I started cycling school. I lost to amateur level. It's curious, but I took the bike all of a sudden. I ended up tired and a little tired. I started working as a janitor in the party halls and worked between seven and eight years. I completely forgot my bike.

And how did he decide to quit the janitor job and start studying as a masseuse?

Gradually I started connecting with cycling. I started cycling and seeing racing. I thought I could have some professional opportunity and I started studying in Bilbao on sports massage. It took place between 2005 and 2007. Then, Xabier Artetxe gave me the opportunity to be part of the Seguros Bilbao group.

He also did it in football.

I spent two years in the Seguros Bilbao group. Then, a friend who was in the Athletic quarry advised me to try there. What things are, when I was a goalkeeper, I met my friend. I spent three years in Lezama, it was a very enriching experience.

What is the importance of massage in sport? What benefit does it bring?

It is fundamental both physically and mentally. The rider's rest is much better after two hours lying on the stretcher and talking. Muscles relax by releasing knots and moving blood. But the benefit of the massage goes further. It greatly influences the mood of cyclists. For them it becomes a routine that, if it is missing, can be noticed quickly.

Does it envy you the life of cyclists?

No. It's very hard. Take care of the food, be away from yours, train hard, manage the pressure… You have to be prepared to bear it. I see the cyclists on the team right. Those who are unable to maintain psychological pressure do not last long.

Sometimes do masseuses become psychologists?

I think that's a myth. Before it could be like this, but now, with mobiles, they come to the massage taking off the inside. Tadejo, for example, wants to enjoy the massage: a little music, a nice conversation… A little chocolate. The work of Psychologist is performed, if someone does, by their very nature. Sometimes we have deep conversations, especially before careers. It's more relaxed. But once it's started to compete, it gets all the attention there.

Do you or cyclists choose music?

Cyclists. Pogacar likes rap and rock from the 1980s. Others hear reggaeton.

Is the identity of the cyclist and the nature of the race variable?

Depending on the rider, the massage is given in one environment or another. Tadej, for example, is very speaking and likes to listen to music. Furthermore, the results have a great influence on the mood of cyclists, which we must also take into account. But the massage itself doesn't change. Be it a flat or mountainous stage. The schedule is the one that most conditions us. On the Tour, for example, we arrived quite late to the hotel and we have to act with haste.

Do you just have to touch the muscles of cyclists to know when each one is at?

I've been working with Pogac for five years, and that's what happens to me. I know when it is strong and when not. He cannot lie to me: from the very beginning I know how he is. If you've been uncompetitive for a while, I notice it immediately. Then, the muscles get very strong by chaining the stages.

They arrived at the same time to the UAE group in 2019 and have become bones and ghosts.

I've become his shadow because he asks. We formed an almost perfect partner. We got very good. After the race there is a lot of tension and when it comes to the goal I must take precautions. You can't fail. Form is very important in cycling and you have to measure every gesture. I also have prepared the food and drink I like. I have other tasks: washing my clothes, taking care of the bags… More than masseurs, we are often slaves, we always chase cyclists. I take it well, because I feel very appreciated within the group.

In another case, what is it like working with a big star like Pogacar?

Very easy. When he takes action to his routines and customs, everything goes on demand. It's a great privilege. My goal is to stay here and win as many Tours as possible.

What is Pogacar like in her face to face relationship? Seen from the outside, it looks like a nice guy.

It's a normal guy. It doesn't act like an asterisk, it's one more on the team. It has changed, it is true. Triumphs, fame, money… It should not be easy to manage all this. Everyone is at your feet and if you don't have your head where it's needed, you can change yourself. Family and manager help Tadee and I too. He's young and sometimes he gets up. In these cases I help him to have his feet on the ground. “This is not a real world, it is a bubble, the world is on the other side,” I say.

And does he care for him?

Yes. It takes me as a counterpoint. Everyone does the wave, but I'm not like that: when I see something I don't like, I tell him. For example, he smiles the camera at Paris-Nizan before leaving Vingegaard behind. I told him not to. “Maybe I didn’t have to,” she confesses.

When he goes where he goes, he wins almost always. Where does it have a limit?

You know. It's on another level. Physically it's the best, but I'm clear: the difference is made by the head. Last year he suffered a hard blow on the Tour because he rose from the ground and immediately resumed the race. I saw him quiet when he lost the tour, but he was bitter in the background. Now it's much more dangerous and stronger, physically and mentally. I think he feels he was wrong and takes more care of the advice we give him.

What percentage of your achievements do you have?

Little, 5%.

It blooms very young. Can it lead to a shorter journey?

Surely yes. I don't see Tadej competing at age 35. I wouldn't be just for making money. He likes to enjoy life and win. It will leave the bike to a very high level.

How many years can you maintain your current level?

I don't know. Four or five more years? You also have to consider injuries, falls and illnesses and how many years mentally you can walk with such pressure.

And what can you do in those other four or five years?

Win everything. But the destination is the Tour. It gives you and takes everything away. Monuments [the five great classics] are also a very nice challenge.

The first three stages of this year’s Tour will be held in the Basque Country. To see if Pogac leaves you well in front of his…

That's what we talked about in last year's Tour. “I want to leave the house with dorsal 1,” I said. Unfortunately it will not be possible because it could not win. But they will be very nice days, no doubt. He likes the routes here and always likes coming to Euskal Herria. The landscapes, the character of the people… He thinks it is similar to Slovenia.