PEZ Meets the Vuelta Podium Girls!

Once again Dear Readers – we go where no one else does or dares! There’s more to the gorgeous Vuelta podium girls than pairs and stares, and as the site that cares, we bring you our PEZ-Clusive interview with 4 Spanish beauties…

I hope you all appreciate the trouble I go to bring you the Daily Distractions from La Vuelta, it’s hard work taking photographs of beautiful women all day under the Spanish sun, eating and drinking as much free stuff as they could throw at me. Then Pez tells me to “get an interview”! – well here it is – my chat with the four most beautiful women on the race, the Comunitat Valenciana podium girls, the ones in the red dresses…

Patricia and Arantxa are podium specialists.

My biggest problem with this interview was that they are all 6 feet tall, so getting a sore neck trying to look them in the eye and not some where lower was difficult. But where are my manners – first some introductions: – left to right, there names are: – Leire, Angeles, Patricia and Arantxa.

I am too much of a gentleman to ask their ages but they all made me feel very old. Leire is a student and lives in Valencia, she likes to talk English, but she says she can only speak a little. This wasn’t true, but her offer to see me any time so she could practice her English was too much for me. Her favorite sports, after cycling, are gymnastics and athletics.

Leire & Angeles handle frontline VIP relations at the race.

Angeles is also a student and works in a clothes shop, of the four she is the only one who isn’t from Valencia, she lives up the road in Barcelona and loves to roller blade. But on a sad note, she has a boyfriend from Andalusia. These two look after the start area for the Comunitat Valenciana, and then when it packs up they drive straight to the finish to take over from Patricia and Arantxa in the guest trailer, as they have to change to go to the podium.

Patricia is a student in tourism, so it is not surprising that she is working for Spain’s biggest tourist region, she also lives in Valencia and likes all sports.

Arantxa is the only one who isn’t a student, she works in El Corte Ingles, which is probably Spain’s biggest department store, she is working in her holiday time. Arantxa and Patricia go to the finish in the morning to look after the guests until Leire and Angeles take over, change into the famous red dresses, or in the case of the very cold Aitana summit finish – jeans and jackets.

Arantxa & Leire

So what about after the race? In the evenings?
“Yes all like to go out and definitely go dancing, but they all said no late nights or they wouldn’t be able to do their jobs the next day, and no drinking! Living in Spain as I do, I have noticed some people’s idea of a late night is different from others, and as the stages all start late, well “late” could be any time.”

Who are their favorite bike riders?
Angeles had no problems with this one, her favorite was a definite, Patrick Calcagni of Vini Caldirola, of the others it had to be Alejandro Valverde of Comunitat Valenciana. Only Leire had no preference, but considering how little of the race she gets to see it’s not a surprise.

My favorite and (I think we can all agree on this one) would be the red dresses, but all four would look good in old coal sacks.

Anything else you would like to say?
“Yes, we are enjoying working on La Vuelta so much we don’t want it to end, we have a week left and we want it to keep going.” Don’t know if the riders would agree with that! “We all work together so well and are now close friends and is so easy to work for the Comunitat Valenciana, it is so much fun, it will be sad to have to go home.”

Well we think the same, thanks girls; you made an old man very happy!

Luckily for Alastair, the Vuelta issues protective drool-proof vests. – Photo of Al Credit: Annel Sancho of La Vuelta.com