Do you want to see a bunch of pro cyclists in a state of deep relaxation? Of course you do.
Cor Vos
To be a professional cyclist is, at some fundamental level, to exist in a state of physical discomfort. The essence of the job description is to endure more pain than the next rider; to keep going when your precisely calibrated, tightly coiled body is screaming at you to stop. It’s rare, in the confines of a bike race, to see a moment of complete surrender to relaxation. It’s rarer still to see that every single day of a Grand Tour.
But that’s exactly what’s going on at the Vuelta a España. As is usually the case, the Vuelta is making up for its relative lack of cachet with some old tricks, like cramming a bunch of sadistically climby stages in. But there’s a new trick this year – a little zone at stage starts with a Big Comfy Sofa for the riders to sit in as they wait for sign-on.
What kind of sofa, I hear you ask? I think, in the biz, it’d be described as an eight-seater with two chaises. Deep seats that basically mandate a slouch, with a slightly greater level of recline at the back than you’d probably expect. Hardy greige fabric; powder-coated alloy frame. You know, the kind of Big Comfy Sofa you’d expect at the Vuelta a España.
“Si, il divano.”
Because this is professional sport, it is naturally also a branding opportunity. The BCS is provided to the riders – to the world, I suppose – courtesy of Paradores, a fancy Spanish hotel chain with 98 branches across the country (and one in Portugal). There’s a press release, because of course there is, with Paradores promoting its guiding belief: “Behind every curve, an emotion. After every kilometer, a story. And at every destination, a Parador. Because La Vuelta isn’t just traveled, it’s also felt, lived, and savored.”
Escape Collective is 100% membership-funded, with no advertising and no affiliate links in our product reviews. Our important work in the field of sofa-related cyclist observation is only possible through your support, so please join us as a member.
So what does it look like to feel, live and savour the Vuelta? Courtesy of the riders of the Vuelta, we know exactly that: the Paradores sofa makes them boneless. They melt into its cosy embrace like a wheel of cheese into a fondue pot. They become extra cuddly. They are transformed from elite athletes to Lycra-clad children with floppy limbs. For a few minutes before each stage of the Vuelta, they are the visual manifestation of comfort.
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look.
This post is for paying subscribers only
Subscribe now
Already have an account? Sign in
Did we do a good job with this story?
👍Yep
👎Nope