By Gabe Rosenberg, KCUR
A trio of Argentinian cyclists biked more than 10,000 miles to Kansas City to cheer on their national team. Hopefully that warm welcome made up for the early-morning thunder and tornado sirens that likely woke up Lionel Messi’s squad soon after they
Kansas City sure knows how to greet ‘em.
The Argentinian national team arrived in Kansas City over the weekend to start their quest to defend their title. Dozens of fans waited at the Origin Hotel on the Berkley Riverfront, where the team is staying, hoping for a sighting — and maybe a signature.
Then, the very next morning, Lionel Messi and his team got a rude awakening with massive thunder crashes and tornado sirens — unfortunately a very common occurrence in Kansas City during the spring — which certainly woke me up in the middle of the night. The storm also made a mess of their hotel’s nice signage. Whoops!
Hopefully the storm didn’t make things too difficult for the trio of Argentinian cyclists who biked all the way from Gualeguaychu, Argentina, to Kansas City in order to support their team (don’t look too closely at their map, which puts KC somewhere in Canada).
The triumvirate arrived, triumphant, on Tuesday morning after 300 days and more than 10,000 miles. My legs are tired just thinking about it!
But what really warmed my heart is that local cyclists gave Miguel, Vicente y Yamandu a very Midwest welcome, joining on two wheels for the final few miles of their journey. Their route took them from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art up through the Gillham cycle track to the riverfront. Meeting them in their own language, so to speak.
Because while we can’t control the weather, we can control how we show up for each other. Hopefully this trend continues as the other base camp teams arrive in the coming days.
Over at KCUR’s Adventure! newsletter, which is all about finding new ways to explore the Kansas City region, we’ve been publishing a special series on our World Cup teams.
I hope it’ll help locals and visitors alike get to know these diverse squads and soccer traditions, and offer a road to engage with new foods and cultures around town. Not to mention the other opportunities to get a sneak peek at practices, join parades and more.
We’ve traveled through Algeria and England so far — with Argentina and the Netherlands up next. And we’ve got even more World Cup-themed guides coming through the end of the tournament, so make sure you’re signed up for Adventure!
In my opinion, the most fun, and most human, parts of the World Cup happen off of the pitch.
Stay in the know with stories that matter — visit HolaAmericaNews.com for the latest news, culture, and community updates!
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