ANDhe Bahamontes cyclist flew through the mountains like nobody else. That is why the Tour de France, whose yellow was given to the Spanish for the first time in 1959 thanks to Coppi’s insistence and a more calculating strategy, recognized him via L’Equipe in 2013 -coinciding with the 100th edition- as the best climber of the ‘Great Boucle’. The quality of the runner Fede, despite the fact that his ‘highlights’ are only in black and white, is unquestionable.
His record is rich, he won the Mountain six times and the general one of the most important round. He also did it with a flashy and explosive way of competing. Fede would have been one of those who, if he existed in his time, would have removed his earpiece to ignore the orders from the car. Famous were his pedal and dialectical duels with rivals… and even with companions.
Hunger and few resources: by bike to Asturias!
Bahamontes hits the mark in ‘La Resistencia’ from #0 at 90 years old
But, beyond the colossal cyclist, the Spanish pioneer was a dazzling and charismatic figure off the asphalt. I grew up between hunger and post-war poverty. He had to pull heavy carts up the slopes of Toledo to distribute vegetables with which to earn a living. I was cycling to Asturias to be able to compete.
The Spaniard, whose birthday always coincided with the Tour and who has a statue in his city to commemorate his figure, threw jokes or anecdotes just as well or better than his indisputable attacks on the mountain. One day I joked with Franco. Another stopped to eat the most famous ice cream in world sport. It was the idol of a Spain that wanted to come back after the war.
This is how the NO-DO reported the victory of Bahamontes in the ‘Tour of France’ in 1959
“I had to go through hardship, but later I enjoyed many things. It is easy to go from poor to rich, the opposite is the reverse path,” said the eagle from Toledo. The scarcity made him grow and get used to pain. I took advantage of it on the heavy bicycle of his flight from him to be remembered forever.
