Rider Obituary: Federico Bahamontes handed away on the age of 95 on the morning of Tuesday eighth of August. In 1959, the ‘Eagle of Toledo’ was the primary Spanish rider to win the Tour de France and a six-time winner of the KOM classification. He was the oldest residing Tour de France winner.
Within the fifties and sixties, Bahamontes was a rider with (amongst many others) the Belgian Faeme crew and Margnat-Paloma of France, at a time when Spanish riders didn’t are inclined to race with ‘international’ groups and never a lot exterior of Spain. Along with the general victory within the Tour de France, he was additionally second behind Jacques Anquetil in 1963 and third in 1964 behind Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor. In addition to his Tour de France King of the Mountains, he additionally gained the KOM of the Vuelta in 1957 and 1958 and the Giro d’Italia in 1956. He has eleven Grand Tour stage victories: Seven within the Tour, three in la Vuelta and one Giro stage.
In Tour yellow
His six King of the Mountains classification wins, in 1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963 and 1964 had been equaled by Lucien van Impe. Their report was crushed by Richard Virenque, he handed them by taking seven polka-dot jersey. He was additionally Spanish nationwide street champion in 1958.
Bahamontes and Virenque in 2003
Bahamontes was seen much less and fewer in public. In 2019 he visited the nineteenth stage of the Vuelta a España, which completed in his hometown of Toledo. He joined general chief, Primoz Roglič on the rostrum.
The Eagle of Toledo, Federico Bahamontes and Primoz Roglič – Vuelta España 2019 stage 19 in Toledo
The mayor of Toledo introduced the information on social media on Tuesday morning. “At this time we mourn the lack of Federico Martín Bahamontes, a benchmark within the sport who has taken our metropolis’s identify to the highest. He’s the primary Spaniard to win the Tour de France and is a part of the sporting historical past in our nation, with greater than 74 victories to his identify.”
Bahamontes and Raymond Poulidor
“Fede thrilled us along with his extraordinary climbs and his bike store in Plaza de la Magdalena was a spot of pilgrimage for all followers. We are going to honour his reminiscence with two days of official mourning, as an indication of ache and acknowledgment from all of the inhabitants of our Toledo. All of us gained the Tour because of him. Our deepest sympathy goes out to his family members. Could he relaxation in peace.”
The ‘Eagle of Toledo’ in full flight
Bahamontes was the oldest residing winner of the Tour de France. Now the 83 year-old Jan Janssen has that honour.
Descanse en paz Fede.
The statue of Federico Bahamontes in his residence city of Toledo
Everybody at PEZ sends their condolences to his household and mates.
A homage to Federico Bahamontes by RTVE (in Spanish):
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