Bahamontes, the cyclist of hunger and the espadrille, who became the father of the pioneers

“The cyclist of hunger, the espadrille cyclist, is leaving us. A cyclist made by himself, creator of the first pikes among Spaniards. A special character.” Manolo Saiz accurately illustrates the march of Bahamontes, the father of the pioneers. The first of all. The Toledo native, with his victory in the 1959 Tour de France, became the first individual athlete from Spain to win top honors outside the country. Until then, only Real Madrid had imposed its hierarchy in Europe, with its first four European Cups. The displays of the superb climber on the colossi of the Pyrenees and the Alps opened the pages of newspapers and radio news and the incipient television.

An adventurer who led the way from adversity and lack of resources. He hardened himself climbing the steep streets of Toledo with his bike loaded with fruit. He bought his first racing bike from a blacksmith. “It was hung on a hook in the forge and had no change. I signed up for a race in Menasalbas in 1947. That was my first race and I was second”, recounted the missing runner, who passed 52 times in first position through the Cols of the Tour. “I arrived at my first Tour in 1954 with a jersey, a pair of shoes and two suitcases from the organization,” he declared in an interview with L'Équipe.

His charisma, natural talent and self-confidence made him an idol of the Spanish postwar period. His exploits inspired later generations.. “Fede was a cyclist who opened the doors to many of us who came after. What he did was not easy, he was a runner of genius and figure, forged himself over a slow fire, like a Toledo sword and hard as an oak. He was intelligent, ahead of his time,” says Carlos Sastre, winner of the Tour de France in 2008, reports Efe.

Federico Martín Bahamontes, the first legend of Spanish cycling, dies

Federico turned the impossible into reality. He left a profound legacy, with subsequent victories for Luis Ocaña (1973), Pedro Delgado (1988), Miguel Indurain (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995), Óscar Pereiro (2006), Carlos Sastre (2008) and Alberto Contador. (2007, 2009). Half a century separated the triumphs of the Toledo and the Pinteño, two climbers of thrones. 74 victories adorned the record of the Águila de Toledo during his 12 seasons as a professional.

Bahamontes, whose funeral will be officiated this Wednesday in Toledo, was also second in the 1963 Tour and third in 1964; second in the 1957 Vuelta. He had seven stage wins in the Tour, three in the Vuelta and one in the Giro.

JOAQUIN BLUME

Federico's light illuminated not only Spanish cycling, but also the sport of our country. The father of the pioneers, of those great athletes who succeeded with limited resources and hardly any institutional help.. The Toledo cyclist was five years older than Joaquín Blume, the precursor of gymnastics in Spain. In 1957, at the European Championships held in Paris, Blume won the individual general competition and was first in three apparatus: rings, parallel bars and horse.. The chronicles of that time say that in rings he signed a marvelous performance with a perfect execution of Christ (remain static with his arms in the form of a cross).. He died in 1959, in a plane crash.

SANTANA

Bahamontes also encouraged Manolo Santana, 10 years younger, to set trends in tennis. In 1958 he won the absolute Spanish Championship and became part of the Spanish Davis Cup team.. He was the first Spaniard to win a Grand Slam tournament. Three years later, in 1964, he repeated the title in Paris against the same Italian. In 1963 he also won in the French city in the doubles category, partnering with Roy Emerson. His third Grand Slam was the 1965 United States Open, at Forest Hill, after beating South African Cliff Drysdale in the final. On July 1, 1966, he won Wimbledon after defeating Australian Dennis Ralston. He won two golds at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games, in which tennis was an exhibition sport. Santana passed away on December 11, 2021.

ANGEL GRANDSON

Ángel Nieto, born in 1947, was champion “twelve times plus one”. There is no other Spanish rider with a better track record in the motorcycle world championship. He won six titles in the 50 cc class (in 1969, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976 and 1977) and seven in the 125 cc class (1971, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984). Added 90 victories and 139 podiums in World Cups. He died on July 26, 2017, when he was 70 years old, after suffering an accident in Ibiza while driving a quad on the road that led to Santa Eulalia.

FRANCISCO FERNANDEZ OCHOA

Francisco Fernández Ochoa was born in 1950 and paved the way in the then minority sport of skiing. The man from Madrid, in his second Olympic participation, in Sapporo in 1972, won the gold medal in special slalom. In February 1974 he played the World Championships in Saint Moritz, where he won the bronze medal in the slalom.. His brothers Juan Manuel, Blanca (bronze in slalom at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics), Luis and Lola were also Olympians.. Paquito Fernández Ochoa died in November 2006.

SEVERIANO BALLESTEROS

The last illustrious precursor was Severiano Ballesteros. The Spaniard, born in 1950, created a golf school. Jon Rahm is his best student. He won five Match Play World Championships, two Augusta Masters, three times the British Open and five Ryder Cups for the European team, one of them, in 1997. At just 22 years old he was the first European to win the Augusta Masters. The Pedreña champion passed away in May 2011.