miguel Poblet was born at Montcada i Reixac in the northern suburbs of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain on 18 March 1928. He was encouraged by his father (a bicycle shop owner) to take up racing seriously and turned professional in 1944 at the age of 16.
The late forties, early fifties were a difficult time to race for Spanish cyclist* (f. e. the Vuelta a Espana wasn’t held between 1951 and 1954 and the circumstances were not always professional). The turning point in Poblet’s career was 1955 when he was a member of the Spaniard team at the Tour de France.
Miguel Poblet was the first Spanish rider to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. In 1956 he became the first of only three riders to win stages in the three Grand Tours in the same year. As a sprinter, he took a total of 26 Grand Tour stage wins (Giro d’Italia 20, Tour de France 3, Vuelta a Espana 3)
Poblet won Milano-Sanremo twice (1957, 1959). He prepared for the race meticulously, designing a training course similar to the Lombardian route in Catalonia.
His two podium places at the Paris-Roubaix (2nd in 1958 and 3rd in 1960) were the best results for a Spaniard at the hell of the North for decades.
His professional teams:
1952 Minaco-Telefunken
1953–1954 La Perle-Hutchinson
1955 Splendid-d’Alessandro
1956 Faema-Guerra
1957–1958 Ignis-Doniselli
1959 Ignis-Frejus
1960–1961 Ignis
1962 Ignis-Moschettieri
Miguel Poblet died on 6 April 2013.
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*about the racing circumstances of this time period read more: Alaister Fotheringham: The Eagle of Toledo. The Life and Times of Federico Bahamontes