Federico Bahamontes

Infobox Cyclist
ridername = Federico Bahamontes


fullname = Federico Martín Bahamontes
nickname = El águila de Toledo
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1928|7|9
country = ESP
height =
weight =
currentteam =
discipline = Road
role = Retired
ridertype = Climber
proyears = 1953–1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962–1965
proteams = Splendid Terrot-Hutchinson
Giradrdengo-ICEP
Mobylette
Faema-Guerra Kas Faema VOV Margnat-Paloma
majorwins = 2 x Vuelta a España KoM

updated = April 1, 2008

Federico Martín Bahamontes (born 9 July 1928) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist.

Biography

Bahamontes was born in Santo Domingo-Caudilla (Toledo).

Renowned as a climbing specialist and nicknamed the "Eagle of Toledo", he won the Tour de France in 1959, and won the Tour's "King of the Mountains" classification 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 the 1957 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 the Giro d'Italia in 1956. Bahamontes was not initially considered a contender for overall honour in the 1959 Tour de France, but he benefited from an early escape on a stage in the Pyrenees, and then won a mountain time trial to the Puy-de-Dôme. Into the Alps, he combined with fellow climber Charly Gaul to extend the lead into Grenoble, and although French riders Henry Anglade and Jacques Anquetil cut their deficits, neither made up enough time to threaten Bahamontes' overall lead. He won by just over four minutes from Anglade, and took the "King of the Mountains" too.

In 1963 and 1964 Anquetil exacted revenge, beating Bahamontes into second in the 1963 Tour de France. Bahamontes and Anquetil performed well in the Alps and at one stage were first and second overall, three seconds apart. However, the Spaniard's efforts to retain his mountains leadership rebounded on him. He was unable to break away from Anquetil on the stage to Chamonix and Anquetil's victory in the time trial sealed his fourth Tour win, with Bahamontes 3:35 behind. A year later, Anquetil took his fifth victory and the margin over Bahamontes in third was 4:44; Raymond Poulidor took second place. Bahamontes at least had the satisfaction of his sixth mountains win and two more stage wins (bringing his total number of Tour de France stage wins to seven).

He is mentioned in the French film Le Fabuleux Déstin d'Amélie Poulain, known in English as Amelie. Amélie finds a box of toys left behind by an owner of her flat. She returns them to the owner - by now a middle aged man - and he is reminded of his childhood, part of which involved watching Bahamontes ride to victory in the 1959 Tour de France.

Palmarès

;1950:ESP national amateur road championship;1952:Vuelta a Albacete;1953:Circuito Sardinero;1954:Nice-Mont Agel:Vuelta a España:::2nd overall :Tour de France::: Winner mountains classification;1955:Clasica a los Puertos de Guadarrama:Monaco - Golf du Mont Agel:Mont Faron:Vuelta a Asturias;1956:Tour de France:::4th overall :Giro d'Italia::: Winner mountains classification:Vuelta a España:::4th overall ;1957:Mont Faron:Vuelta a España::: Winner mountains classification::Winner stage 3::2nd overall :Vuelta Ciclista Asturias;1958:ESP national time trial champion:Giro d'Italia:::Winner stage 4:ESP National road race championship:Saint-Junien:Subida a Arrate:Tour de France:::Winner stages 14 and 20:: Winner mountains classification::8th place overall classification:Vuelta a España::: Winner mountains classification::6th overall ;1959:Subida a Arrate:Tour de France::: Winner overall classification:: Winner mountains classification::Winner stage 15:Vuelta a España:::Winner stage 4;1960:Subida a Arrate:Vuelta a España:::Winner stage 13;1961:Cenon:Monaco - Golf du Mont Agel:Nice - Mont Agel:Riberac:Subida a Arrate;1962:GP de la Magdaleine:Juliénas:Mont-Faron:Subida a Arrate:Tour de France:::Winner stage 13:: Winner mountains classification:Ussel;1963:La Touloubre:Miramas (FRA):Mont-Faron (b) (FRA):Tour de France:::2nd overall ::Winner stage 15:: Winner mountains classification;1964:Escalada a Montjuich:Six Days of Madrid (with Rik Van Steenbergen):Mont-Faron:Subida al Naranco:Tour de France:::3rd overall ::Winner stages 8 and 16:: Winner mountains classification:Ussel;1965:Escalada a Montjuïc:Tour du Sud-Est:Vuelta a España:::10th overall

Teams

* Mondia (1954)
* Terrot (1955)
* ICEP-Girardengo (1956)
* Mobylette (1957)
* Faema (1958)
* Cóndor (1959)
* Faema (1960)
* VOV (1961)
* Margnat-Paloma (1962)
* Margnat (1963-1965)

External links

* [http://www.biciclopedia.com/palmares/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=57&Itemid=30 Complete Palmarès]
*cyclingwebsite|507
* [http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/TDF/riders/us/3315.html Official Tour de France results for Federico Bahamontes]