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At 56 years old they have made me permanent in the company

He was a magnificent domestique of the 80s and 90s. He is also a man with eight Basque surnames (Leanizbaturria, Abaunza, Gorosabel, Bereciartura, Aspiazua, Azpitarte, Uriez, Bernas). But we knew him above all as Alberto Leanizbarrutia. A guy who is 58 years old today. He lives in Berritz and gets up every day at four thirty in the morning, even on vacation. He works as an operator in an automotive factory where a miracle happened. Two years ago, at the age of 56, they fixed him. Since he retired from cycling, he has done several laps. He had an Italian pizzeria in Durango. Later, he was sports director with Manolo Saiz at Liverty. His son was a professional cyclist for six years. But he will always be Alberto Leanizbarrutia. A gregarious man who offered beastly confidence and almost never failed.

You were a mythical gregarious member of Teka, Clas and ONCE. Did that solve your life? No. My first year as a professional, I earned less riding a bike than working at the carburettor company I worked for. I remember that he charged 90,000 pesetas (€540). So you can get used to the idea.

And what did they tell you at home? The classmates drove me crazy and my mother put up with me because she is a mother. But I worked from seven to four thirty in the afternoon at the age of 18 and then I trained. And I had to decide. And I decided to try cycling. And at the age of 21 I entered Huesitos as a professional for 75,000 pesetas.

Then it was 14 years as a professional. My salary went up, of course. I ended my sporting life owing nothing to anyone and some money saved. But from the age of 35 when you stop earning money to the age of 65 when you retire, you have to see the expenses of 30 years. And if you don't want to work, you must pay Social Security so that you have a pension left. I made calculations and it was totally impossible for me to live off the income.

Isn't it hard working in a factory? Everything is hard in this life. But you have to do it. You ask that question to anyone who works and still throws stones at you...

“At 56 years old they made me a permanent in the company”

Well, yes, but you have to ask. If you remove politicians, ordinary people all work. It's the only thing we have a left. We are not all Messi or Induráin and my way of being is to work. I have been contributing to Social Security for 38 years because I started working at 16. If I had contributed for the first four years in cycling, I would have already contributed 42. I could think about retiring.

His golden years were those of ONCE. Yes, they were good years. I think he was not out of place in a great team. It had a low horsepower engine. From the beginning I saw that I was not a winner and I asked myself: how can I hold on in this sport? The answer was clear: be gregarious.

And that filled you up? I will explain it to you in another way. The contracts were from year to year. If you didn't work the following year you were on the street. My job was not to win. I have never been paid to win. In 14 years of my professional life my victories could be counted on the fingers of one hand. If I endured it is because it was worth being gregarious. So it was a great motivation. If they hadn't shown me the door.

What was the best tip you ever got? No, no, none. Tips do not exist in cycling. The money from the victories was always distributed among everyone including mechanics, masseurs...

Did you work for Rominger, Jalabert, Zulle or Dietzen. Was it the same to work for everyone? Yes, because in the end, work is work.