Federico Bahamontes

Federico Bahamontes

Bahamontes in 1962
Personal information
Full name	Alejandro Martín Bahamontes
Nickname	The Eagle of Toledo
Born	(1928-07-09) 9 July 1928 (age 96) Santo Domingo-Caudilla, Spain
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Retired
Rider type	Climber
Professional teams
1953–1954	Splendid
1955	Terrot–Hutchinson
1956	Girardengo–ICEP
1957	Mobylette
1958	Faema–Guerra
1959	Tricofilina–Coppi/Kas
1960	Faema
1961	VOV
1962–1965	Margnat–Paloma-Inuri
Major wins
Tour de France General classification (1959) Mountains classification (1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964) 7 individual stages (1954–1965) Giro d'Italia Mountains classification (1956) 1 individual stage (1956–1961) Vuelta a España Mountains classification (1957, 1958) 3 individual stages (1955–1965)

Federico Martín Bahamontes (born 9 July 1928; 9 August 2023) is a Spanish retired professional cyclist. He was the first cyclist to win the "King of the Mountains" competition for best climber in all three Grand Tours, the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España.

Bahamontes was born in Santo Domingo-Caudilla, Toledo.

Bahamontes was a climbing specialist. He won the Tour de France in 1959, and won the polka dot jersey for the best climber six times, in 1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963 and 1964. In total, he won seven Tour stages. Reporters gave him the nickname the 'Eagle of Toledo'.

He was second in the 1957 Vuelta a España and won the mountains competition in 1957 and 1958. He won the mountains competition in the Giro d'Italia in 1956.

Bahamontes retired in 1965 to run a bicycle and motorcycle shop in Toledo.^[1]

In 2013 he was named the best climber in the history of the Tour de France by L' Équipe Magazine.^[2] Members of the jury included current riders, such as Thomas Voeckler, five-times winner of the race Bernard Hinault and the general director of the Tour de France Christian Prudhomme. The award was given by the French President François Hollande.

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 and he is reminded of watching Bahamontes win the 1959 Tour de France.

• Fotheringham, Alasdair (2013) The Eagle of Toledo: The Life and Times of Federico Bahamontes, the Tour's Greatest Climber , London, Aurum Press, [1]

• Fotheringham, Alasdair (9 July 2009). "Federico Bahamontes: The fiery Eagle who flew up the mountains". The Independent. Retrieved 20 December 2014.

• Complete Palmarès Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
• Frederico Bahamontes at the Cycling Archives Archived 2016-03-23 at the Wayback Machine
• Official Tour de France results for Federico Bahamontes

Tour de France Maillot Grimpeur (Polka dot jersey) winners

1933 Trueba | 1934 Vietto | 1935 Vervaecke | 1936 Berrendero | 1937 Vervaecke | 1938 Bartali | 1939 Maes | 1947 Brambilla | 1948 Bartali | 1949 Coppi | 1950 Bobet | 1951 Géminiani | 1952 Coppi | 1953 Lorono | 1954 Bahamontes | 1955 Gaul | 1956 Gaul | 1957 Nencini | 1958 Bahamontes | 1959 Bahamontes | 1960 Massignan | 1961 Massignan | 1962 Bahamontes | 1963 Bahamontes | 1964 Bahamontes | 1965 Jimenez | 1966 Jimenez | 1967 Jimenez | 1968 Gonzalez | 1969 Merckx | 1970 Merckx | 1971 Van Impe | 1972 Van Impe | 1973 Torres | 1974 Perurena | 1975 Van Impe | 1976 Bellini | 1977 Van Impe | 1978 Martinez | 1979 Battaglin | 1980 Martin | 1981 Van Impe | 1982 Vallet | 1983 Van Impe | 1984 Millar | 1985 Herrera | 1986 Hinault | 1987 Herrera | 1988 Rooks | 1989 Theunisse | 1990 Claveyrolat | 1991 Chiappucci | 1992 Chiappucci | 1993 Rominger | 1994 Virenque | 1995 Virenque | 1996 Virenque | 1997 Virenque | 1998 Rinero | 1999 Virenque | 2000 Botero | 2001 Jalabert | 2002 Jalabert | 2003 Virenque | 2004 Virenque | 2005 Rasmussen | 2006 Rasmussen | 2007 Soler | 2008 Kohl, disqualified  | 2009 Pelizotti, disqualified  | 2010 Charteau | 2011 Sánchez | 2012 Voeckler | 2013 Quintana | 2014 Majka