Barcelona Tiene Poder

By Cristian Marin
Photos by Jordi Tamayo

As the great Catalan gypsy said in his Rumba…
She has power
She has power
Barcelona is powerful
Barcelona has power…

Seven in the morning
The alarm clock thunders in my ears like a non-stop jack-hammer hitting my empty head and I lift the blinds only for a red sun to narrow my pupils. I stumble towards the kitchen to have a considerable breakfast. Granny’s muffins, a good glass of juice, white coffee, buttered toast—­just the thing to get the day started.
I face my bike, whether it’s Botecchia, Gios, Condor, Pinarello, Macario, Argon… You look at it almost apologizing for the tough day ahead, she almost seems to offer a resigned metallic smile.
You lift her up, put her on your shoulder and carefully make your way downstairs, still groggy, greet the

continued