The 10 most outstanding Spanish cyclists in history: From Indurain to Contador and Valverde
Cycling
We make a review of what we consider to be the 10 best cyclists in the history of Spanish cycling. Of course we imagine that every fan has his own list, so we suggest that you tell us yours in the comments.
As analyzed by CiclismoAlDia's Juan Larra; among the best, we obviously have to highlight names such as Miguel Induráin, Pedro Delgado, Óscar Freire or Alejandro Valverde, but we don't want to reveal the whole list, discover it below:
10. Abraham Olano
His madness in the 95 World Championship and his World Championship against the clock lead him to this position. History of Spanish cycling because of the importance of what happened in the hardest World Championship in the history of cycling (only 20 finished on that day). In addition, he won a Vuelta a España.
One of the pioneers of Spanish cycling on the international scene, he left a remarkable legacy with his achievements in the most prestigious races. He was the first Spaniard to wear the yellow jersey of the Tour de France and the first to win stages in all three Grand Tours: the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. Poblet won a total of 20 stages in the Giro d'Italia, including the record number of wins in the 1956 edition with five victories. His versatility and speed allowed him to excel in both flat stages and one-day races, also achieving victories in classics such as the Milano-Sanremo, which he won twice in 1957 and 1959.
Roberto Heras, one of Spain's most outstanding cyclists, is especially recognized for his impressive achievements in the Vuelta a España. Heras holds the record for victories in this competition, having won it four times (2000, 2003, 2004 and 2005). His exceptional ability for mountain stages and his endurance allowed him to dominate the Vuelta for several years. In addition to his triumphs in the Spanish races, Heras was also a key domestique for Lance Armstrong's victories in the Tour de France, which were later removed from him.
7. Pedro Delgado
The most spectacular climber of the 80's. A beast. Pure spectacle. The basis of the modern Spanish cyclist. Delgado won the Tour de France in 1988, consolidating his place among the greats of cycling. He also won the Vuelta a España twice, in 1985 and 1989. His combative style and ability to perform in mountain stages and time trials made him a formidable competitor. Throughout his career, he also achieved numerous podiums and stage victories in other important competitions, and his charisma and fighting spirit made him a beloved hero of Spanish sport.
6. Federico Martín Bahamontes.
Bahamontes, known as "The Eagle of Toledo," is a legendary figure in cycling, famous for his skills as a climber. Bahamontes became the first Spaniard to win the Tour de France in 1959. Throughout his career, he stood out as a formidable climber, winning the prestigious Tour de France mountains jersey six times (1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963 and 1964). In addition, he also won the Grand Prix de la Montagne in the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España.
He would probably be higher if it weren't for his doping sanction. Even so, his Tour, Giro and Vuelta victories place him among the greatest Grand Tour riders of all time. Contador is one of the few cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours: the Tour de France (2007 and 2009), the Giro d'Italia (2008 and 2015) and the Vuelta a España (2008, 2012 and 2014). His ability to dominate in both mountain stages and time trials made him a formidable competitor in his period. His aggressive style made him different from the rest.
4. Óscar Freire
One of the most successful and versatile Spanish cyclists of his generation, he is celebrated for his impressive achievements in the classics and world championships. Freire won the World Road Cycling Championships three times (1999, 2001 and 2004), demonstrating his ability to excel in the most competitive events. He also won the prestigious Milano-Sanremo three times (2004, 2007 and 2010), establishing himself as a one-day race specialist. In addition, Freire scored stage victories in all three Grand Tours, including four stages in the Tour de France, seven in the Vuelta a España and one in the Giro d'Italia.
3. Alejandro Valverde
The most complete ever. Vuelta, Tour and Giro podiums, World Champion and countless Classics over two decades. With exceptional versatility and consistency, Valverde has won the Vuelta a España in 2009 and has been on the podium of all three Grand Tours, including the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. He is a five-time champion of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic and a four-time winner of the Flèche Wallonne. In addition, Valverde has won the 2018 World Road Cycling Championships and has been Spanish champion on several occasions. His ability to remain competitive on a variety of terrains and his longevity in the sport have made him a living cycling legend.
2. Luis Ocaña
The cyclist who has made the best cyclist in history, Eddy Merckx, suffer the most in the mountains. He 'stole' a Tour from him and didn't steal another one because of that damned storm in Menté. He left an indelible mark on cycling history with a series of impressive achievements throughout his career. Ocaña is especially remembered for his victory in the 1973 Tour de France, where he showed formidable skill and determination. He also won the Vuelta a España in 1970 and won the Spanish Road Cycling Championships in 1968 and 1972. Ocaña also excelled in other important competitions, achieving numerous stage victories and podium finishes in classic races, which consolidated his reputation as one of the most outstanding cyclists of his time.
1. Miguel Induráin
5 Tour de France victories and 2 Giro victories. Little more to say. 'Miguelón' is one of only 3 riders in history to have won 5 Tours and the only one to have done so consecutively - depending on your opinions regarding Armstrong. The Navarrese is, without a doubt, one of the best time-trialists of all time and based a large part of his victories in Paris on that specialty. He is, quite simply, the best. If he had raced today he would surely have extended his calendar and won classics: he focused on the Grand Tours.
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- yeah, that’s a more fair assessment. “reaching mathieu’s level” doesn’t mean you’re planning to replicate his whole career. the former IS doable, potentially. it’s just the latter that likely is not.OCexile25-12-2024
- That’s not entirely true. Every person follows their own development path and peaks differently. Remco and Primoz had hardly started cycling before elite level. Jonas was pretty much under the radzr until he unexpectedly had to take over responsibility at JV. Some guys only get real good in their thirties others have peaked mid-twenties. You can’t tell in advance how and upto what level they will progress, obviously his career might not have MVDPs length but nothing says he could not end up doing a few seasons at his level.Mistermaumau25-12-2024
- well, del grosso is 21 right now. when mathieu was a year younger than that, he was already winning elite level world championships, not U23. i think del grosso will be a very good pro for years, but if he was really going to be the next van der poel someday, he’d already have to be at that level right NOW. van der poel was showing signs of true greatness when he was 15-16. THAT’S what generational talent looks like.OCexile25-12-2024
- Yeah.... gear 😅.mikolajjj24-12-2024
- It shouldn’t be about expectations in the first place should it? Besides, if you look at everyone’s calculations as a whole they don’t add up in the first place. There’ll be 2-3 riders with a 50% chance, a dozen with 10 or 20% and dozens more with a 5% so we’re expecting at least 2 if not 3 winners. Remind me again who won before her? Says it all about using data to decide on participation.Mistermaumau24-12-2024
- Ok, happy I’m not too interested in this team coz’ the account of what happened is really hard to follow.Mistermaumau24-12-2024
- The UCI is worse than USA CyclingVeganpotter24-12-2024
- It's not like they wanted her to not win😅 She had an outstanding Olympics. But there's a reason why she wasn't expected to win the road race and that's ok. Things like this happen and it's great...better than seeing expected winners win.Veganpotter24-12-2024
- Bruyneel ? The man with a lifetime ban from cycling...why do you keep giving him and his doper mate, Armstrong, a platform?DJ24-12-2024
- yeah, agree. on the subject of being a “complete rider,” i do think that’s getting more interesting. mathieu seems to have decided he wants to get much better at climbing the the high mountain passes. he appears to be looking for new challenges, which should be interesting to watch. in most cases you’d dismiss a goal like that at age 30, but it’s mvdp. he’s never going to climb with the real climbers, but if he can improve enough it could open up stage wins when the parcours isnt just purely toothy and punchy.OCexile24-12-2024