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Legendary Tour climber Federico Bahamontes, the Eagle of Toledo, passes away age 95

Shared the record for most Grand Tour King of the Mountains titles

Photo by: Sirotti
August 8, 2023
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He grew up in abject poverty, and survived both the Spanish Civil War and Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. He lived to climb–the name Bahamontes means “over the mountains”–and didn’t always care that much about the bike race GC. A sometimes nervous descender, he once waited for the peloton atop a 1954 Tour de France climb while eating an ice cream. He holds the record for the most King of the Mountain titles in all three Grand Tours. And on Tuesday, Federico Martin Bahamontes, the Eagle of Toledo, died at age 95.

Bahamontes raced in the 1950s and 1960s, earning eight top-10s in 20 Grand Tours, including the 1959 yellow jersey at the Tour de France, which made him the first Spaniard to do so. In his heyday, switching teams practically every season, he took nine Grand Tour KOMs: one in the Giro d’Italia, six in the Tour and two in his home Vuelta a Espana. He shares the record of nine with Italian 1930s-1940s colossus Giro Bartali, who never raced the Vuelta. Of the riders who have KOM titles in all three Grand Tours, only Colombian Luis Herrera comes close to the Eagle with five. Bahamontes’ six Tour polka dot jerseys are only second to Richard Virenque’s seven. He had seven Tour de France and three Vuelta stage wins. In 1958 he finished all three Grand Tours. In his last race in 1965, he came runner-up to the great Raymond Poulidor.

The Eagle of Toledo was the oldest living Tour de France winner. That distinction now belongs to 83-year-old Dutchman Jan Janssen, who claimed the 1968 title back in the national teams era.