.jpg) Bahamontes in 1962 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Alejandro Martín Bahamontes |
| Nickname | El Águila de Toledo (The Eagle ofToledo) |
| Born | (1928-07-09)9 July 1928 Santo Domingo-Caudilla,Spain |
| Died | 8 August 2023(2023-08-08) (aged 95) Valladolid, Spain |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Retired |
| Rider type | Climbing specialist |
| Professional teams | |
| 1953–1954 | Splendid |
| 1955 | Terrot–Hutchinson |
| 1956 | Girardengo–ICEP |
| 1957 | Mobylette |
| 1958 | Faema–Guerra |
| 1959 | Tricofilina–Coppi/Kas–Boxing |
| 1960 | Faema |
| 1961 | VOV |
| 1962–1965 | Margnat–Paloma–D'Alessandro |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
Federico Martín Bahamontes, bornAlejandro Martín Bahamontes (Spanish:[feðeˈɾikomaɾˈtimba(a)ˈmontes]; 9 July 1928 – 8 August 2023), was a Spanish professionalroad racing cyclist. He won the1959 Tour de France and a total of 11Grand Tour stages between 1954 and 1965. He won a total of ninemountain classifications and was the first cyclist to complete a"career triple" by winning the mountain classification in all three Grand Tours. Following his retirement, Bahamontes ran abicycle andmotorcycle shop and was named the best climber in the history of the Tour de France by a panel organised byL'Équipe in 2013.
Federico Bahamontes was born on 9 July 1928 inSanto Domingo-Caudilla,Toledo, to Julián Martín and Victoria Bahamontes.[1] Unlike the usual custom of calling a Spaniard by the first of two surnames, Bahamontes is known by his second; there were too many with the surname Martín in his village so he took up his mother's surname. He was named after his uncle, Federico, who was the head of the family and proclaimed that Bahamontes would be called after him at the baptism in the local church.[2] Between 1929 and 1931, his parents had three more children, all girls. Bahamontes attended a school inToledo run by nuns, which he did not enjoy.[2] In 1936, theSpanish Civil War broke out, but Bahamontes' father, a veteran of theCuban War of Independence, did not fight because he was too old. Along with other civilians in Toledo, however, he was enlisted by Nationalist forces to act as reinforcements as Republican forces closed in on Toledo. He managed to escape this service, but when he returned home, he found soldiers who "called themselvesCommunists" and ordered him to open the storehouses on the estate where the family lived. He refused, before running away, and eventually escaping the ensuing manhunt by hiding in a doorway.[3]
The family eventually fled toMadrid in July 1936. When the family arrived, the city was held by Republican forces who had withstood an attempted invasion from the Nationalists. In October, however, Nationalist forces decided to laysiege to the city and Julián was enlisted into the Republican reserve forces and led amule team that transported supplies.[4] Meanwhile, Bahamontes, along with his mother and sisters, escaped to the village ofVillarrubia de Santiago due to the intensifyingair raids in Madrid. They were joined by Julián after the war, but the family continued to struggle; as he had been with the Republicans, the losing side, Bahamontes' father received no pension and he was forced to break rocks for road construction in order to earn enough money for the family.[5] The young Bahamontes resorted totheft in order to sustain himself and the family; he would jump into the trailers of lorries from a bridge over a road before filling a bag with food from the trailer. He also dug out live ammunition from civil war trenches to sell as scrap metal.[6]
In 1946, at the age of 18, Bahamontes bought his first bike for 150pesetas (roughly equivalent to £250 or US$342.47 in 2014) in order to transport food illegally between villages. As rationing was in place due to economic ruin, theblack market for food flourished.[7] It was during this activity that Bahamontes contracted an unknown disease which he believed to betyphoid. Whilst hiding from theCivil 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 andfever.[8] After being restricted to his house for two months, Bahamontes returned to black marketeering, and competed in his first cycling race after two other black marketeers invited him. On 18 July 1947, he cycled to a nearby village where the race began and, with only a banana and lemon as sustenance, he managed to finish second.[9]
Following victory at his second race, Bahamontes began racing as a full-timeamateur; the prize money from such races was significantly more than the wages of what little work there was.[10] He soon formed a friendship and partnership with another cyclist, Ladislau Soria, who was strong on the flat. Together, they dominated the local races with Soria's brother acting as a manager.[11] In his early years as an amateur, Bahamontes won the Tour of Andalusia and Tour of Cadiz; however, he was called up to 18 months ofNational service in July 1949.[12] It was during this time that he opened up a shop in Toledo renting out bikes.[13]
Bahamontes first faced professionals at the 1953Vuelta 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.[14] He competed in more races inMadrid and elsewhere in Spain before moving toBarcelona, the wealthiest city in Spain. It was here that he received backing fromSantiago Mostajo Trigo, a former cyclist and businessman who was a "hugely influential figure" in Spanish cycling.[15]
Due to financial reasons, theVuelta a España did not run between 1951 and 1954, so theVolta a Catalunya was the biggest race in Spain. It was there, in1953, that Bahamontes won theKing of the Mountains. The race received coverage inMundo Deportivo, aCatalan sports newspaper, as well as having the support of fourteen sponsors.[16] Teams from across Europe competed, with Bahamontes racing for a team directed by Mostajo and sponsored by Balanzas Berkel, a manufacturer of weighing equipment.[17] He performed above expectations, managing a 146 kilometres (91 mi) solobreakaway on stage 8 to secure his mountain classificationjersey.[18]
The director of the Spanish team,Julián Berrendero, picked Bahamontes for the1954 Tour de France in the summer of 1953, with instructions to "try to win it".[19] He initially declined, stating that he did not know French and "had no suitcase", but later accepted the offer with a few weeks to go after discussing with his parents. The Spanish team included1948 Vuelta a España winnerBernardo Ruiz, former national championFrancisco Masip, and1953 Volta a Catalunya winnerSalvador Botella.[20] The first half of the race was relaxed for Bahamontes, until stage eleven where he broke away from thepeloton and went over theCol d'Aubisque in first place. It was on thefog-covered descent, however, that he crashed, eventually finishing thirty-second.[21] Bahamontes continued to score well in the mountain classifications; he was first over theCol du Tourmalet andCol de Peyresourde.[22] It was theCol du Galibier, however, that was the most important; Bahamontes rode downJean Dotto to finish the climb in first place, thus winning a 100,000franc (roughly $250 in 2021) prize as well as mountain points which secured him the mountain classification victory.[23] He finished 25th in theGeneral classification.[24]
The next year, Bahamontes competed at the1955 Vuelta a España.[25] He gained the nicknameel Gitano (the gypsy) when he started to sell bike parts to other riders he had bought from factories in France.[26] The race did not go well for Bahamontes; during stage five, he got a "twisted tendon" in his left knee and had alimp when off the bike. The injury was so serious that a protrusion could be felt on his knee several decades later.[27] As a result, Bahamontes would not achieve another Tour de France mountain classification victory until 1958.[28] After receiving treatment for his injury which reduced the pain andinflammation, Bahamontes continued to race. He won the 1955 Vuelta a Asturias,Vuelta a los Puertos and a hill climb onMont Faron.[29] Despite the success, a medical examination before theTour de France prevented him from competing and he was replaced by national championAntonio Gelabert.[30]
He won theTour de France in1959, and won the Tour'sMountains classification (also called the "King of the Mountains") six times (1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964). He also took second and third places overall in 1963 and 1964 respectively. In total, he won seven Tour stages. He was also second in the1957 Vuelta a España, and won the mountains competition then and the following year, 1958, when he finished 6th. He also won the mountains competition in theGiro d'Italia in1956.[31]
In the1959 Tour de France, Bahamontes benefited from an early escape on a stage in thePyrenees, and then won a mountaintime trial to thePuy-de-Dôme. Into the Alps, he combined with fellow climberCharly Gaul to extend the lead intoGrenoble, and althoughFrench ridersHenry Anglade andJacques Anquetil cut their deficits, neither made up enough time to threaten Bahamontes' overall lead. He won by just over four minutes from Anglade, and became King of the Mountains too.[32]
_(cropped).jpg)
In 1960, Bahamontes got no further than the first few days of the Tour, after falling ill.[33] In the1963 Tour de France, Anquetil beat Bahamontes into second place. Bahamontes and Anquetil performed well in the Alps and after stage 16 were only three seconds apart in first and second place respectively. Anquetil was able to stay with Bahamontes, the superior climber, over the steep climb of theCol de la Forclaz on the following stage, won by Bahamontes. This allowed Anquetil to use his advantage in thetime trial to overcome his deficit and claim a fourth Tour victory, while Bahamontes finished second.[34] A year later, in the1964 Tour de France, Anquetil took his fifth victory and the margin over Bahamontes in third was 4:44;Raymond Poulidor took second place. Bahamontes had his sixth King of the Mountains win and two more stage wins (bringing his total Tour de France stage wins to seven).[35] His final Tour de France camein 1965, where he abandoned on stage 10, having finished the previous day's stage second to last, 40 minutes down. On his final stage, he made one last attack on theCol de Portet d'Aspet, in his own words "to show them [the audience] what they would be missing".[36]
Following his retirement, Bahamontes opened a bicycle and motorcycle shop in Toledo and offered to lead visitors through a museum dedicated to his career.[37]
In 2013, during his 85th birthday that coincided with the100th edition of Le Tour de France, he was named the best climber in the history of the race, ahead of French riderRichard Virenque, by a jury selected byL' Équipe newspaper.[38][39][40][41][42] Members of the jury included active riders, such as the popular French riderThomas Voeckler, and others such as five-time winner of the raceBernard Hinault, as well as the general director of Le Tour de FranceChristian Prudhomme.[40][42] The award was given by the French PresidentFrançois Hollande.[42] Also, he has been honoured with thePremio Nacional Francisco Fernández Ochoa.[43]
Following the death ofRoger Walkowiak in 2017, Bahamontes became the oldest living Tour de France winner.[44] Following Bahamontes' death,1968 Tour winnerJan Janssen took over this position.[45]
Bahamontes died on 8 August 2023. He was 95 years old.[37] His home town of Toledo declared two days of mourning following his death.[46]
Road race, National Amateur Road Championships
Mountains classificationRoad raceTime trial Mountains classification
Mountains classification
OverallTour de France Mountains classification National Hill Climb Championship
Mountains classification Mountains classification Mountains classification Mountains classification| Grand Tour | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vuelta a España | N/A | 21 | 4 | 2 | 6 | DNF | DNF | — | — | — | — | 10 |
 Giro d'Italia | — | — | DNF | — | 17 | — | — | DNF | — | — | — | — |
| Tour de France | 25 | — | 4 | DNF | 8 | 1 | DNF | — | 14 | 2 | 3 | DNF |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
| N/A | Race not held |
| 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vuelta a España | N/A | 21 | 4 | 2 | 6 | DNF-11 | HD-15 | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | 10 |
| Stages won | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 0 | |
| Points classification | NR | 4 | 3 | NR | — | — | — | — | — | — | NR | |
| Mountains classification | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | |
| Giro d'Italia | DNE | DNE | DNF-18 | DNE | 17 | DNE | DNE | DNF-16 | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE |
| Stages won | — | — | 0 | — | 1 | — | — | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| Mountains classification | — | — | 1[N 1] | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tour de France | 25 | DNE | 4 | DNF-9 | 8 | 1 | DNF-2 | DNE | 14 | 2 | 3 | DNF-10 |
| Stages won | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Points classification | NR | — | NR | — | NR | 4 | — | — | NR | 3 | 12 | — |
| Mountains classification | 1 | — | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1 | Winner |
| 2–3 | Top three-finish |
| 4–10 | Top ten-finish |
| 11– | Other finish |
| DNE | Did not enter |
| DNF-x | Did not finish (retired on stage x) |
| DNS-x | Did not start (not started on stage x) |
| HD-x | Finished outside time limit (occurred on stage x) |
| DSQ | Disqualified |
| N/A | Race/classification not held |
| NR | Not ranked in this classification |
Source:[49]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
