The Eagle of Toledo: The Life and Times of Federico Bahamontes, the Tour's Greatest Climber

by Alasdair Fotheringham

Federico Martin Bahamontes, the Eagle of Toledo, is rated by many as the greatest climber in cycling history. The first Spaniard to win the Tour de France and a six - time champion of the race's gruelling King of the Mountains classification, he became a national hero in a Spain struggling to rebuild after the devastation and atrocities of the ...

Genres: Cycling, Sports, Biography, Nonfiction

281 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Alasdair Fotheringham is a British foreign affairs and sports journalist, specializing in cycle racing. Based in Spain, Fotheringham works as a freelance journalist and has written articles for The Independent, The Independent On Sunday, The Guardian, The Daily Express, The Sunday Express, Cycling Weekly and Reuters. He has been The Independent's cycling correspondent since 2001, and having covered the Tour de France 17 times, Fotheringham covered the Olympic Games for the first time in 2008.

Reviews

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alasdair Fotheringhamin "The Eagle of Toledo: The Life and Times of Federico Bahamontes, the Tour's Greatest Climber" (Aurum, 2012) on perusvarma elämänkerta espanjalaisesta kilpapyöräilijästä, joka tuli tutuksi paitsi vuoden 1959 Tour de France -voitostaan ja ylimaallisesta kyvystään nousta vuoren rinnettä, mutta myös melko hankalaksi tiedetystä persoonastaan ja legendaarisiin mittoihin kasvaneesta jäätelötuutista.

Vuonna 1928 syntynyt Bahamontes kasvoi sisällissodan jälkeisessä Espanjassa erittäin köyhissä oloissa. Kiinnostavaa taustaa kirjalle tuo kuvaus kenraali Francon aikakauden Espanjasta, eurooppalaisesta diktatuurista, joka myös hyödynsi urheilusankareita omiin tarkoituksiinsa.

[Centaures i marmetines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Va ser un regal d'una companya de feina sabedora de la meva devoció pel ciclisme i per la simpatia que sempre he tingut cap a la figura de Bahamontes.

A qui sempre havia vist com un gran esportista, afable, amable i carismàtic. Però lluny d'aquesta visió que tenia d'ell tot sembla indicar que tenia un caràcter marcat sobretot per l'època que li va tocar viure: postguerra espanyola. On a banda de quedar sense infància, va desenvolupar un sentit per la supervivència que el va marcar la seva relació amb l'esport, companys, directors i patrocinadors.

Considero que l'autor ha fet una feina formidable, entrevistant companys d'equip i professió de Bahamontes per poder justificar la seva relació amb ells i descobrir secrets. També una explicació molt acurada de l'entorn polític i social que li va tocar viure.

[Elias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo que debería ser historia del ciclismo se convierte en un libro de apologética antifranquista con tufillo a supeioridad moral anglosajona. En cualquier caso, merece la pena. El personaje es tan extraordinario que es casi imposible que no sea interesante y divertido leer sobre su vida y obra. Como escritor ciclista considero que Fotheringham está sobrevalorado. No consigue encender los corazones, limitándose casi siempre a ser un taquígrafo plano.

[mark feenan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much of a Spanish history lesson and not enough about cycling. Was a bit of a tough read.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting for a road cycling enthusiast.

[Alastair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok bio of a man who, despite being his own worst enemy in a pretty big crowd of them, was the first Spaniard to win the Tour de France. The author does a reasonable job of explaining the background of Civil War/Franco-era Spain and how it shaped Bahamontes, but I occasionally got lost in the weeds as Fede self-sabotaged his way through his career. Note to self: be grateful you never had to race anywhere near Raphael Geminiani.

[Joe Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating insight into post WW II European cycling - in particular, also, the Franco years in Spain. I loved the idea that Bahamontes started out cycling in order to smuggle food from town to town. He seems to have been a complete crank yet also a very strong personality and Fotheringham takes a balanced, sympathetic view of a rider who could have won much more than he did.