Federico Bahamontes: The 'Eagle from Toledo' that conquered the Tour de France dies at 95

Federico Bahamontes, who became the first Spaniard to win the Tour de France in 1959, died at the age of 95. The 'Eagle from Toledo' is regarded as one of the finest climbers in cycling history, and became the first cyclist to win the mountains jersey in all three Grand Tours.

Bahamontes was a man driven by determination and pure love for the road. He won a total of 11 Grand Tour stages between 1954-1965.

To thrive athletically in post-war Spain was an immense challenge met with hunger and lots of troubles, nevertheless, Bahamontes exalted himself to the Olympus of cycling.

Bahamontes was born in Santo Domingo, Toledo, on July 9th, 1928. Unlike the usual custom of calling a Spaniard by the first of two surnames, Bahamontes is known by his second, as there were too many with the surname Martin in his village, so he took up his mother's surname.

In 1936, the Spanish Civil War broke out, and Bahamontes was enlisted by the nationalist forces as Republican forces closed in on Toledo. He managed to escape the service, but when he returned home, he ran into communist soldiers who demanded he open the storehouses to his estate. He refused and escaped once again.

Upon moving to Madrid, Federico's dad was enlisted to join the Republican side, where he led a mule team to supply the fronts. After the war ended, the family continued to struggle due to the family's links with the Republican army. No pension, no benefits, and forced to break rocks and work in construction.

Young Bahamontes had no other choice but to resort to theft in order to sustain himself and his family. Post-war Spain was a very challenging time for him and his family. It wasn't until 1946 that he would purchase his first bike for 150 pesetas (roughly $220 at the time) in order to smuggle food between villages.

On July 18th, 1947, young Bahamontes would join his first race in a nearby village. He only took a banana and a lemon as sustenance and managed to finish second!

In his early years as an amateur, Bahamontes won the Tour of Andalusia and the Tour of Cadiz. This launched him onto the international cycling scene. He was called up to 18 months of National service but returned to cycling in 1949.

The Tour of Catalunya was one of Bahamonte's biggest achievements in 1953. He performed way better than expected, managing a 146 km solo breakaway on stage 8 to secure his mountains jersey.

Julian Berrendero, the director of the Spanish team Bahamontes was racing for, chose the 'Eagle from Toledo' for the 1954 Tour de France. He initially declined as he didn't know any French and "didn't own a suitcase", but later accepted the offer with a few weeks to go.

Bahamontes felt good during the first sections of the Tour, and later claimed first over Col du Tourmalet and Col de Peyresourde. After that, he would conquer the mountains jersey on Col du Galibier and win the climb, bagging 100,000 francs ($20 in 2023). He would finish 25th in the GC.

The year after, he signed up for the Vuelta a España, where he didn't perform as well due to a twisted tendon. An injury that would haunt Bahamontes for the rest of his life, causing him to limp.

In 1959, Bahamontes won the Tour de France GC and his third of six mountains jerseys on French soil. He also claimed the mountain classification in the 1956 Giro d'Italia and the 1957 and 1958 Vuelta a España, completely dominating the cycling scene for a decade!

After his retirement, Bahamontes opened a bicycle shop in 2013. It was during this time his 85th birthday coincided with the 100th edition of the Tour de France, he was named best climber in the history of the race, ahead of French rider Richard Virenque, by a jury selected by L'Equipe.

At the age of 95, the 'Eagle from Toledo' passed away peacefully. The legendary cyclist has left a legacy that will last generations.

"The adopted son of the city of Toledo admired and loved, Fede has moved us with his extraordinary climbs. His bicycle shop has become a place of pilgrimage. We will honor his memory with two days of official mourning, as a sign of pain and recognition of all Toledo," shared community representatives from Toledo.