Orbea

Orbea – From the Heart of the Pyrenees

When I say Orbea, I think of one thing: crazy orange-clad Basque on the roadside at the Tour de France cheering for their home countrymen. Euskaltel Euskadi has symbolized the Spanish cycling obsession for a few years. Think Iban Mayo winning a stage on Alpe d’Huez in the 2003 Tour. In 2004, Mayo won the Dauphiné Libéré, regarded as preparation for the Tour de France. Now Orbea is the bike of choice for Team Type 1, Land-Rover Orbea, Xacobeo Galicea and Andalucia Cajasur. The ORCA carbon-fiber model is the brand’s flagship, ridden to gold in the 2008 Summer Olympics by Sammuel Sanchez. To ring in 2009, the New Jersey Road Race Champ drubbed me on Palomar Mountain aboard an Orbea. Some nice eye candy available here, to go with the beautiful gallery on the Orbea website.