28 Facts About Federico Bahamontes

Federico Bahamontes won the 1959 Tour de France and a total of 11 Grand Tour stages between 1954 and 1965.

Federico Bahamontes won a total of nine mountain classifications and was the first cyclist to complete a "career triple" by winning the mountain classification in all three Grand Tours.

Federico Bahamontes was born on 9 July 1928 in Santo Domingo-Caudilla, Toledo, to Julian Martin and Victoria Bahamontes.

Unlike the usual custom of calling a Spaniard by the first of two surnames, Federico Bahamontes is known by his second; there were too many with the surname Martin in his village so he took up his mother's surname.

Federico Bahamontes was named after his uncle, Federico, who was the head of the family and proclaimed that Bahamontes would be called after him at the baptism in the local church.

Federico Bahamontes attended a school in Toledo run by nuns, which he did not enjoy.

Federico Bahamontes managed to escape this service, but when he returned home, he found soldiers who "called themselves Communists" and ordered him to open the storehouses on the estate where the family lived.

Federico Bahamontes refused, before running away, and eventually escaping the ensuing manhunt by hiding in a doorway.

The young Federico Bahamontes resorted to theft in order to sustain himself and the family; he would jump into the trailers of lorries from a bridge over a road before filling a bag with food from the trailer.

Federico Bahamontes dug out live ammunition from civil war trenches to sell as scrap metal.

In 1946, at the age of 18, Federico Bahamontes bought his first bike for 150 pesetas in order to transport food illegally between villages.

Federico Bahamontes soon formed a friendship and partnership with another cyclist, Ladislau Soria, who was strong on the flat.

Federico Bahamontes first faced professionals at the 1953 Vuelta a Asturias.

Federico Bahamontes competed in more races in Madrid and elsewhere in Spain before moving to Barcelona, the wealthiest city in Spain.

Teams from across Europe competed, with Federico Bahamontes racing for a team directed by Mostajo and sponsored by Balanzas Berkel, a manufacturer of weighing equipment.

Federico Bahamontes performed above expectations, managing a 146 kilometres solo breakaway on stage 8 to secure his mountain classification jersey.

Federico Bahamontes initially declined, stating that he did not know French and "had no suitcase", but later accepted the offer with a few weeks to go after discussing with his parents.

Federico Bahamontes continued to score well in the mountain classifications; he was first over the Col du Tourmalet and Col de Peyresourde.

The next year, Federico Bahamontes competed at the 1955 Vuelta a Espana.

Federico Bahamontes gained the nickname el Gitano when he started to sell bike parts to other riders he had bought from factories in France.

Federico Bahamontes won the 1955 Vuelta a Asturias, Vuelta a los Puertos and a hill climb on Mont Faron.

Federico Bahamontes won the Tour de France in 1959, and won the Tour's Mountains classification six times.

Federico Bahamontes took second and third places overall in 1963 and 1964 respectively.

Federico Bahamontes was second in the 1957 Vuelta a Espana, and won the mountains competition then and the following year, 1958, when he finished 6th.

Federico Bahamontes won the mountains competition in the Giro d'Italia in 1956.

Federico Bahamontes won by just over four minutes from Anglade, and became King of the Mountains too.

In 1960, Federico Bahamontes got no further than the first few days of the Tour, after falling ill.

Federico Bahamontes had his sixth King of the Mountains win and two more stage wins.