Jesús and José Herrada, before the third stage of the Volta.LA VOLTA
After Tuesday’s stage, the Vallter hors catégorie climb, the Cofidis bus headed for a charming and warm hotel tucked away in the Ripollés mountains. There the brothers José and Jesús Herrada, 37 and Jesús Herrada, aged 37 and 32, after the regenerative massage and before dinner in the warmth of a fireplace, visit EL PAÍS to reflect on a life dedicated to cycling. They only have a few days left to share equipment, rooms and the peloton as José has already decided that he will get off his bike at the end of the course.
For the three Herrada children, the most normal thing to do during childhood was the bicycle, as their father, although always in an amateurish way, rode for many hours. Fernando, the eldest, made it through to adolescence but eventually decided to go to college. “Although he tried again later because he came to Ponferrada to referee an elite Spanish championship,” points out José. “Yes, he went through a lot and had a good level, but another thing is the competition…” says Jesús, who had his doubts between the ball and the two wheels. He was a more than correct left winger and so he played with all his friends. “But in football there are a lot of people and it’s harder to stand out. So I went back to cycling in Kadetten,” says Jesús, who was following Marco Pantani very closely at the time. However, José preferred the character of Escartín. “I don’t know if it was because of the gesture of suffering, but I was a big fan of his,” he dismisses while acknowledging that he chose him when he was with his friends in the city, Mota del Cuervo , caps played. Distractions that didn’t stop him from being a proper student – not so little, lazier and with a bad habit of procrastinating until the end – or devoting himself to the bike and carving his place among the pros by then 2011 he came to Caja Rural.
It was precisely in this course that Movistar signed Jesús, who had excelled among the juniors. And he took a good course that helped Eusebio Unzué [gerente general de Movistar] He would look at José with better eyes. “We had talks, but it wasn’t decided yet,” explains the older man. And although they were trained as runners and individuals among the ranks of the Spanish team, they understood that their future did not stop there. “They were good years but we had few opportunities with team-mates like Nairo Quintana or Alejandro Valverde, so I also think it was good for us to leave that comfort zone and go to a foreign team like Cofidis [en 2018]’ Jesus reflects. “I didn’t care because he was the winner. But he also needed a change and he wanted to get involved,” adds José.
So there are already 12 seasons with the same jersey. “After so many years together, I almost don’t realize how lucky we are to share the peloton and the team,” explains José. “But when you think about being in the elite for so many years on the same team… We’re very fortunate.” The only negative, they agree, is when there’s a crash in the peloton, as both are concerned make sure her brother isn’t among those involved. It happens that this will not happen again next year, since José will get off the bike. “I was already thinking about it last year, but when I pulled out of the last Vuelta due to Covid, I knew I wanted to continue for another year. I still feel good and I don’t want to leave him with a big drop in performance,” says José. But they still have many hours ahead of them this year between the colored snake and, by the way, in the same room.
José is more tidy and usually goes to bed earlier because he has a different daily routine, already a father of three children – “You come to the races to rest!” Jesús jokes – which is why he doesn’t want to, because he wants to be at home more. And while there are no secrets between them, it’s not uncommon for them to remain silent and just enjoy their company. “Sometimes we don’t even talk to each other anymore… But there’s a comfortable silence with him. It’s not like having a colleague who you don’t trust that much and it seems that you have to talk about something,” reflects José. Jesús will definitely miss that stillness, as if he were close to the road, either in competition or even in training when they tend to sting at anything, be it paddle tennis, fronton or trials. José will also miss him, determined to remain involved with the sport by preparing the cyclists.
There are other brothers in the peloton, like the Serranos (Gonzalo in Movistar and Javier in Eolo), the Izaguirres (Ion in Cofidis and Gorka in Movistar), the Yates (Adam in UAE and Simon in Jayco)… And even them share a jersey as García Piernas (Raúl and Carlos at Kern Pharma; and the Azparrens, Xabier Mikel and Enekoitz at Euskaltel). But none has spent so much time or races, so many unforgettable moments, as the tears of Jesús after winning a stage at the Vuelta in 2019, to dedicate them to José, who lost the previous stage in the final sprint. But they will have time for the fights, today and tomorrow, and the next day they will be in the Volta, one of the last races they will share.
Follow EL PAÍS Deportes on Facebook and Twitteror sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.