Federico Bahamontes rode Tour de France for the very first time in 1954.
He was picked for the Tour 1954 by Julián Berredero, the director of the Spanish team (and King of the Mountains 1936) in previous summer already.
The real race for Bahamontes started in the Pyrenees. On the 12th stage, which included Tourmalet, Aspin and Peyresourde, he arrived at the finish with Jean Malléjac and Gilbert Bauvin, who won the stage with 1 sec ahead of Bahamontes, and claimed the yellow jersey.
Bahamontes was already active on the previous stage (including Aubisque), he collected enough mountain points to lead the KOM competition.
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On the 17th stage, on the top of the Romeyere in the Alps, he had to wait for his team car, because he didn’t dare to start the descent with a battered wheel. While he was waiting, he saw two ice cream cars, so he just started to lick an ice cream in the crowd of (mostly French and not necessarily friedly) cycling fans. A legend was born. But in contrary to the French press, it wasn’t a sign of arrogance, rather frustration and range, because he lost so much time till the team car arrived on the top of the hill.
Bahamontes collected the KOM points in the Alps diligently. His attack on the 19th stage (including Galibier, Marocaz, Les Prés, Plainpalais) secured him the KOM jersey.
He finished his first Tour de France on the 25th place in the general classification.
Federico Bahamontes (born in 1926) won the Tour de France in 1959, he is currently the oldest living Tour de France winner.
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