David Bueno Díez: Without sports, I wouldn't be able to perform at 100% in my work or in my social relationships
REAL STORIES
Published 15 Sept 2025
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By
Ona Canales
“Mens sana in corpore sano.” Who hasn't heard this phrase before? It seems so true to me... I admit that when I was little, I couldn't quite understand it, but now I'm sure: mind and body are connected, always. As expected, this hypothesis is also validated in sports; in fact, it is evidenced in capitals. I can demonstrate it to you myself, but David Bueno, the protagonist of this article, does it better.
He is an industrial engineer and a “sports fanatic”. That’s how he introduces himself when I ask him to. He lives in Gavà, is thirty-four years old, and has tried so many sports that he makes me feel like I’m wasting my time. Basketball until he was twenty-five, padel, mountain and road cycling, running, salsa, bachata, rumba, afro dance… He has done duathlons and a few triathlons, and his goal for next year is to complete an Ironman. For the uninitiated (like me), an Ironman is a triathlon comprising 3.8 kilometres of open sea swimming, 180 kilometres of road cycling, and a 42-kilometre run. All of that must be completed in a maximum of 17 hours. Quite the challenge, indeed.
Physical tests as enduring as the ones David undertakes make me think about stamina. How does the body hold up? “There’s a very solid foundation, which is training. Without training—and without a strong mindset—you can’t achieve these things.” I agree with him. He assures me it’s also about the goal you set for yourself and the commitment you have towards it. This phrase particularly resonates with me. Like everything in life, I think, even if it’s hard to admit. And he continues: “You can’t compare yourself to elite athletes; for me, it’s a hobby. But, in the end, we always give our all. We treat it as if we were professionals.” So there you have it, the secret’s out.
The mind, clearly, is an essential engine. “The thrill of achieving these challenges is what drives me every day to prepare for them.” But how long does this preparation last? David tells me that he usually starts four or five months in advance, depending on the competition. Wow, almost half a year. That's a lot of anticipation. “It's complicated,” he admits, but he remains steadfast with the power of motivation. “It's what makes you train more and better.”
Another point to consider with competitions like these is the individuality they entail. In my case (as the writer), sharing the sport with a team is what motivates me most to practise it. Even so, listening to him, I understand that everything has its good points. “You with the bike, you with your feet, you with the sea. It's a personal challenge and entirely up to you.” And this, naturally, gives him a “sense of fulfilment” with himself that, I don't think I'm wrong in saying, makes all the previous work worthwhile. “It's a situation proportional to what you are able to face.”
David tells me that he has learned to clear his mind, and I ask him if he would compare it to meditating. “Of course.” He says that sometimes he can spend hours and hours on his bike without realising that time has passed. This doesn’t mean that he never has intrusive thoughts. During long races in extreme weather conditions, for example, and being alone, his mind questions what he’s doing there “when I could be at home, relaxing.”
But sport makes him happy. “For me, it’s the push, it gives me the energy for day-to-day life. Without sport, I couldn’t be 100% at my job or with my social relationships.” I completely understand his obsession when he adds that competitions are not the only thing that drives him to live this lifestyle, but rather everything that surrounds sport. His friends, for example, with whom he does routes, shares ambitions and routines, and organises new challenges.
Okay. Let’s get to the point. He uses Salssa pouches. “And honestly, what I like most is how easy they are to ingest. They go down well, and in those moments when you can’t get any solid food in your mouth, these gels are fantastic.” We don’t want to flatter ourselves too much, but we love to confirm that the pouches work. “The flavour is very good,” he says, “and the size; especially for us cyclists, who have to keep things at the back.” Oh, and their natural composition. David used to suffer with his stomach, which ended up affected after consuming the same gels in long races. Not anymore.
And that’s it, I’m off now. Trust in Salssa, but above all in sport. And if anyone is still looking for reasons to give it a go, listen to David: “You can start for health, but let it make you happy.”
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