Federico Bahamontes, the first Spaniard to win the Tour de France in 1959, died at the age of 95, the mayor of Toledo announced on Tuesday, where the rider considered one of the best climbers in history was from. “It is with deep sadness that we mourn the loss of Federico Martín Bahamontes, the Eagle of Toledo, a sports reference that has carried the name of our city to the highest,” Carlos Velázquez said on his account X ( formerly Twitter). “The first Spaniard to win the Tour de France is part of our country’s sporting history, with more than 74 victories to his credit,” added the mayor.
Six times best climber in the Tour de France
The city has also decreed two days of official mourning, the town hall said on its website. “His legacy will live on on the roads and in our hearts. Thank you for inspiring us to pedal beyond the limits”, wrote the head of the Spanish government Pedro Sánchez on “X”, hailing a “figure of world cycling”. Born on July 9, 1928 in Santo Domingo near Toledo, Bahamontes definitely entered the history of cycling on July 18, 1959 by winning the Tour de France.
Con profundo pesar, lloramos la pérdida de Federico Martín Bahamontes, el Águila de Toledo, a referente del deporte que ha llevado el nustra ciudad a lo más alto.
El primer español en ganar el Tour de Francia formed part of the historia del deporte en nuestro país,… pic.twitter.com/QuRV3wBvou— Carlos Velazquez (@cvelazquezromo) August 8, 2023
The Aigle de Tolède, nickname given by a French journalist, took part in its first Tour in 1954 and won the mountain classification six times (1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964) in ten participations in the Grande Loop. Winner of the Vuelta twice (1954 and 1957), he remained at the top in his thirties and relaunched his career under the authority of his sporting director Raoul Rémy. During the Anquetil years, “Fede” appeared twice more (2nd in 1963, 3rd in 1964) on the Tour podium, the race that best suited this rider who loved the scorching temperatures.
If he won eleven mountain stages in the three big tours (7 in France, 1 in Italy, 3 in Spain), he was however limited by his poor skills as a downhiller at a time when arrivals at the top were less frequent. “If he had been born 20 years later, he would have doubled his score,” said Pierre Chany, the leading journalist at the time.
“Legend of our sport, he was the first Spaniard to win the Tour de France, an event that also consecrated him as one of the best climbers in history,” the Spanish Cycling Federation also said in a statement. message posted on Twitter. After his retirement, Bahamontes remained involved in cycling as a team manager and then manager of the Vuelta a Toledo. He also ran his own bike shop.