|
Stages:
|
14 |
Kms:
|
3.425 |
|
Riders:
|
50 |
|
|
Kms/hour:
|
28,537 |
|
Retired:
|
21 |
The history of Vuelta a España is closely related
to the media. If nowadays it would be imposible to develope such an enourmous
event without the help of the different media, which report even the smallest
detail, the first edition of Vuelta a España, held in 1935, could be carried
out thanks to Diario Informaciones, organizer of the event.
The conditions which the 50 riders had to go through turned this first edition
into a real oddyssey; at the end, the race was won by the Belgian rider Gustave
Deloor, after a fierce fight against the Spanish rider Mariano Cañardo, who
suffered all kind of misfortunes which prevented him from achieving the first
position in the Individual Overall Standings.
The riders had to cover 3.411 kilometres, divided in 14 stages, 10 of which
were more than 250 kilometre-long, something which would be almost unthinkable
for the present professionals. Besides, they had to use heavy bicycles made
of iron which underwent constant punctures and damages which had to be repaied
by the riders themselves and sometimes they were forced to finish the stages
using bicycles that the spectators lent them.
Given the slight importance that riders and managers dedicated to training
at that time, the riders decided that the best way to face the race was to
drink a cocktail made by Perico Chicote. Orange Bitters, Grand Marnier, Cordón
rojo, Curaçao naranja, English gin and half a glass of Italian vermouth were
the ingredients of the magic formula which allowed them to face a race described
by some of the riders as the hardest one they had ever known till that moment.
The 29th of April the fascinating history of Vuelta a España began; that year
the quality of the race was reduced because of the coincidence with Il Giro
de Italia. As early as in the first stages several riders such as Escuriert,
Ezquerra, Montero and Trueba were forced to abandon, turning Deloor and Cañardo
into the two only candidates for the final tiumph. The Belgian rider showed
a more regular performance and was able to achieve the deserved victory as
the 14-minute lead he had over Cañardo proved.
Only four Spanish riders were able to achieve a partial victory: Escuriet,
first Spanish leader in the history of Vuelta a España, Cañardo, Cardona and
Montes. Nevertheless, the most important thing was already done. A brilliant
event had been set into motion that year, reaching such an unthinkable magnitude
nowadays that those people who organized and took part in this first edition
of Vuelta a España could not have imagined.
