Biography federico bahamontes

Among people born in , Federico Bahamontes ranks Among people deceased in , Federico Bahamontes ranks Among people born in Spain , Federico Bahamontes ranks out of 3, Among cyclists born in Spain , Federico Bahamontes ranks 1. The latter consistently lagged behind his "comrade" in the final stages. Bahamontes participated in the Tour de France for the last time in but failed to finish the race.

That marked the end of his professional career. Currently, Federico Bahamontes owns a store where he sells bicycles and motorcycles. Every day, he receives letters, some addressed to his name, others adorned with drawings of an eagle, as the postal service knows who the recipient is. Federico Bahamontes Former Spanish cyclist and professional road racer.

Date of Birth: Contact About Privacy. Bahamontes was born in Santo Domingo-Caudilla, Toledo. Bahamontes was a climbing specialist.

Biography federico bahamontes

He won the Tour de France in , and won the polka dot jersey for the best climber six times, in , , , , and In total, he won seven Tour stages. Reporters gave him the nickname the 'Eagle of Toledo'. He won the mountains competition in the Giro d'Italia in Bahamontes retired in to run a bicycle and motorcycle shop in Toledo. He refused, before running away, and eventually escaping the ensuing manhunt by hiding in a doorway.

The family eventually fled to Madrid in July When the family arrived, the city was held by Republican forces who had withstood an attempted invasion from the Nationalists. He also dug out live ammunition from civil war trenches to sell as scrap metal. As rationing was in place due to economic ruin, the black market for food flourished. Whilst hiding from the Civil Guard , who had orders to arrest anyone black marketeering, he stood in stagnant water and was bitten by a mosquito even though typhoid is not spread via mosquitoes.

This led to extreme weight loss, loss of hair and fever. On 18 July , he cycled to a nearby village where the race began and, with only a banana and lemon as sustenance, he managed to finish second. Following victory at his second race, Bahamontes began racing as a full-time amateur; the prize money from such races was significantly more than the wages of what little work there was.

Together, they dominated the local races with Soria's brother acting as a manager. Bahamontes first faced professionals at the Vuelta a Asturias. The field included some of the strongest cyclists in Spain and teams from Italy and Belgium. Racing as an independent semi-professional, he won the opening stage and eventually finished twenty-first out of sixty-nine.

It was here that he received backing from Santiago Mostajo Trigo , a former cyclist and businessman who was a "hugely influential figure" in Spanish cycling. It was there, in , that Bahamontes won the King of the Mountains. The race received coverage in Mundo Deportivo , a Catalan sports newspaper, as well as having the support of fourteen sponsors.

It was on the fog -covered descent, however, that he crashed, eventually finishing thirty-second. The injury was so serious that a protrusion could be felt on his knee several decades later. He won the Tour de France in , and won the Tour's Mountains classification also called the "King of the Mountains" six times , , , , , He also took second and third places overall in and respectively.

In total, he won seven Tour stages.