 Emotions
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Carlos Sastre / January '08
 The truth is that I haven’t had that much free time this winter, given the quantity and quality of commitments I've attended; but even so, I've done things that I’d never done before, like going to a football match and a classical music concert. As a top-level sportsman, you always see the competition first hand, you hardly ever see it from the sidelines, so until you take a step back you don’t value many of the things that you feel or see.
As I was telling you, this winter I went to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium to see a Real Madrid football match. It may seem surprising, but I promise you that never before had I been in a large stadium. I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere and above all, by the feeling of accessing the pitch from the fourth floor. For a moment, I would have liked to have been a player: to feel the fervour of the crowds; to see what they feel from down there, walking on the green pitch…And that’s me saying this, a privileged man who over many years has had the fortune to feel the enthusiasm of thousands of fans, cheering me on close by. What I want to say is that now I also understand how and why football attracts so many supporters. To be able to enjoy a good match over a decent period of time is great and can even get you hooked. Strangely, and staying on the subject of football, shortly afterwards I had the honour of doing the ceremonial kickoff at the Ávila ground and watching my fellow countrymen playing a match. The stadium was smaller but the atmosphere and the enthusiasm of the fans were similar.
In between all this activity and intensely enjoying a rest period with my family, a friend composed a march that is dedicated to me and that made its debut on the first day of my training. It has a lively rhythm and includes part of the El Barraco anthem. A series of puffs accompany the musical notes, emulating the cyclist’s efforts. This march has been sounding in my head since Epiphany, the day I had the opportunity to listen to it performed live and was given the original score by the composer.
It’s strange when you realise that the majority of things that we enjoy have a lot in common. Observing and listening are two essential requisites to realise that if the orchestra conductor, captain, manager, maître d’ or leader are doing their job well and giving appropriate orders, everything sounds in unison, without hiccups, to perfection. Harmony forms part of the group, everyone waits to receive the order from the baton, masterly handled by the conductor and then they play it at just the right moment so that the melody reaches inside you, really touching those that feel what they are seeing and hearing. You don't feel anything for a moment, but then something courses through your whole body and fills it with energy...
This feeling, which normally gives you goose bumps, normally happens when you hear music that you like, when you see a film that moves you, when the chef prepares a special meal for you or when you see your idol giving his all to reach victory. And we are all capable of experiencing this feeling and causing it.
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