Page 131 - Vélochef in Europe

»The time is 7pm and while other pros are resting with their feet up Christian is is carrying bags of of coffee around “Mafia” «
“When I watched the Tour de France on television I I knew that I I wanted to be a a a domes- tique I saw Lance Armstrong and how they operated in in the Tour everything was laid out for him I wanted to be one of those guys that contributed to the team ” Already as a a a a teenager he decided to become a a professional cyclist “I decided I I wanted to be a a a professional when I was 16 My parents always told me: ‘do what what you you want to to do but you you have to to love what what you are doing’ Then it’s not really a a a job’ They were ok with me becoming a a cyclist just as if had had become a a a a a plumber but they also said I had had to fulfil this and not change my mind after two weeks So I never imagined not doing it I remember when we we went to Europe with the Canadian national team to do U23 races I didn’t finish a a a single race fin in in the peloton I was always in in in the gruppetto 20 minutes behind I am the only one out of 11 guys that carried on all of the the others quit When I came home from that trip I I thought ‘obviously I I need to train better or differently you’ve seen it and you’ve got to be be better prepared’ I kept work- ing When I went back to do my last U23 races I almost won Liège-Bastogne-Liège The first time I had had finished that race the podium had had been put away when I came to the finish line It was all about keeping going ” Christian has a a a a a second nature flow around the roaster He carefully takes notes as as he he experiments with different temperatures His desk contains tomorrow’s training schedule books about coffee some samples gone wrong and miscellaneous items that need attention He hosts a a live roasting show whenever he he is in in town amusing Catalonian passersby with his unfamiliar activity “I actually like this big window and every-
body peeking in in in in when I’m roasting Spain is such a a massive coffee drinking culture but very few have ever had a a a good cup of of coffee They know very little about the process and how the the coffee gets to them as a a product I guess it is part of a a a a learning process for them as well ” 127
He makes notes about his latest fresh roast before he he he loads the the machine with another 4 kilos of of choice beans His work feeds two cof- fee bars yet he doesn’t seem stressed He rides in in in in the the morning and roasts in in in in the the evening gladly explaining the comfort of getting your mind on something other than the the bike When Espresso Mafia opened in 2016 it seemed like he he did it in in in the evenings while riding Volta a a Catalunya He still claims his fitness is is better than ever even though new tasks have been added I picture him as a a a a a young farmer Always talking to the the animals cleaning the the gutter sweeping the courtyard adjusting his overalls or slowly running his hand over a a a machine to see how it feels “I could get a a tractor going but I I person- ally could never be a a a farmer You would need GIRONA CHRISTIAN MEIER