Federico Bahamontes

Called the eagle of Tolède, Federico Martín Bahamontes (born the July 9th 1928 in Saint-Domingue (Tolède), Spain) was professional cyclist between 1954 and 1965, gaining 74 victories.

Recognized like a specialist in the mountain, Bahamontes gained the Tour de France 1959, although it was not with the departure looked like one of the favorites. However, a long escape in the Pyrenees and its victory in the stage against the watch of Puy-de-Dôme gave him an advance important. In the Alps, it was combined with Charly Gaul, climbing him also, and, even if Henri Anglade and Jacques Anquetil succeeded in taking again time to him, they could not constitute a threat for the Spanish runner, which laid out with the end of the Turn of more than four minutes on Anglade, classified second.

In 1963, Bahamontes was relegated to the 2nd place by Anquetil. They had made good match as well in the Alps as in the Pyrenees, but Anquetil gave him the death-blow in against the watch, thus gaining its 4th Turn, and leaving Bahamontes to more than three minutes and half. One year later, in 1964, Bahamontes finished 3rd behind Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor, with more than four minutes of the winner.

Excel climbing, it has twice gained the Grand Prix of the Mountain in the Vuelta, once in the Giro and six times in the Tower of France (1954, 1958,1959,1962,1963,1964), where it divided this record with the Belgian Lucien Van Impe until the arrival of Richard Virenque which brought back seven times to Paris the Maillot to red pea.

One refers to him in the film the Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain. Amélie finds a box of toys forgotten in the apartment that it occupies by the former owner. It returns them to him and, to this moment the man, who is already of Middle Age, remembers his childhood, during which he followed with Bahamontès passion which went towards the victory in the Tour de France 1959.

Prize list

  • Trophy of the Spanish Federation: 1954,1956,1958,1959
  • Tour de France:
    • 1959; 2nd: 1963; 3rd: 1964
    • six times the Grand Prix of best climbing: 1954,1958,1959,1962,1963,1964
    • 7 stages, very of mountain
  • Champion of Spain of the against-the-watch: 1958
  • Champion of Spain of mountain: 1959
  • Turn of South-east: 1965

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