The Tour de France is in mourning. This Tuesday, August 8, the Spaniard Federico Bahamontes died at the age of 95.
He was the oldest winner of the Tour de France still alive. This Tuesday, August 8, the Grande Boucle is in mourning after the announcement of the death of the Spaniard Federico Bahamontes at the age of 95. It was the mayor of Toledo, Carlos Velázquez, who announced the sad news on social networks. He also took the opportunity to announce two days “of official mourning as a sign of pain and recognition of all Toledans.
Federico Bahamontes was a real winner. He became the first Spaniard to win the Grande Boucle in 1959, also finishing on the podium in the 1963 (2nd) and 1964 (3rd) editions. Above all, he was considered the “best climber” in the history of the Tour de France. He was crowned by a jury brought together by L’Equipe Magazine in 2013. Like Richard Virenque or Lucien Van Impe, Bahamontes is six best climber’s jerseys and seven stages in the Tour de France. He had also launched a short sentence towards Richard Virenque during his award for best climber, “he does not blame me, but, if he is a climber, I am Napoleon!” Just a character.
“A real Tour de France in 1959”
For those under 20 and even older, the Tour de France at the time of Bahamontes was a “real” Tour de France. 22 stages in total, 4358 kilometers and very long stages like Dijon – Paris which was 331 kilometers. For the little anecdote, they were 120 at the start for only 65 at the finish.