José Manuel Fuente Lavandera (September 30, 1945 – July 18, 1996) was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist.
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | José-Manuel Fuente Lavandera |
| Nickname | El Tarangu |
| Born | September 30, 1945 Limanes, Spain |
| Died | July 18, 1996 (aged 50) Oviedo, Spain |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Climber |
| Professional teams | |
| 1970 | Karpy Licor |
| 1971–1975 | Kas-Kaskol |
| 1976 | Bianchi-Campagnolo |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
Fuente was a professional from 1970 to 1976. He had the same nickname as his father and grandfather, which was "El Tarangu", a word in the Asturian language for a man reputed for his strength and character.[1] Fuente was known as one of the greatest climbers of his generation. He was a two-time winner of the Vuelta a España and won four consecutive climbers classification (or King of the Mountains) at the Giro d'Italia. He was rivals with the great cyclists of his time: Eddy Merckx and Luis Ocaña. He won the Vuelta a España in 1972, which at that time was held in late April and early May. Several weeks later, in the 1972 Giro d'Italia, Fuente had a great battle with Eddy Merckx. Fuente took the pink jersey as leader of the general classification early on in the race but Merckx took it back. On the mountain stage to Bardonecchia, Fuente put in an attack that put pressure on Merckx. Little by little, Merckx increased his pace and came back to Fuente and ended up winning the stage.[2]
Health problems due to kidney disease forced Fuente to retire in 1975. After retirement he opened a successful cycle business in Oviedo and in 1988 was appointed directeur sportif of the CLAS team.[3] This lasted only a year, after which he was replaced in 1989 by Juan Fernadez. Fuente died following a long battle with kidney disease at the age of 50.[1]
Major results
edit- 1969
- 3rd Vuelta Asturias
- 1970
- 1st Stage 9 Volta a Catalunya
- 3rd Overall Vuelta a los Valles Mineros
- 1971
- Giro d'Italia
- 1st
Mountains classification - 1st Stage 10
- 1st
- Tour de France
- 1st Stages 14 & 15
- 1972
- 1st
Overall Vuelta a España
- 1st
Mountains classification - 1st
Combination classification - 1st Stage 12
- 1st
- 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stages 4a & 17
- Held
after Stages 4a–6
- 1st
- 1973
- 1st Overall Tour de Suisse
- 1st
Mountains classification - 1st Stages 4 & 5
- 1st
- 2nd Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 3rd Overall Tour de France
- Held after Stages 9–10
- Held
- 8th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stage 19
- 1st
- 1974
- 1st Overall Vuelta a España
- 1st Stages 9 & 13
- 5th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stages 3, 9, 11a, 16 & 20
- Held after Stages 3–13
- 1st
- 8th Overall Tour of the Basque Country
- 1976
- 1st Stage 3a Vuelta a los Valles Mineros
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
edit| Grand Tour | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vuelta a España
|
16 | 54 | 1 | — | 1 | DNF |
 Giro d'Italia
|
— | 39 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 18 |
| Tour de France
|
— | 72 | — | 3 | — | DNF |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
References
edit- ^ a b "Jose Manuel Fuente RIP". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ Merckx, Eddy (1972). Plus d'un Tour dans mon sac; Mes carnets de route 1972. Editions arts et voyages diffusion gamma.
- ^ "CLAS - RAZESA". cyclebase.nl. Retrieved 2007-10-17.