|
Stages:
|
16 |
|
Kms:
|
3.250,79 |
|
Riders:
|
100 |
|
Teams:
|
10 |
|
Kms/hour:
|
32,248 |
|
Retired:
|
55 |
The 13th edition of Vuelta a Espaņa was thought
to be a duel between Bahamontes and Loroņo, the best national riders of the
moment and absolute favorites to the final triumph. However, the personal
differences existing between them and the dubious attitude of their director,
Luis Puig, allowed the foreign riders to gain access to an easy victory.
In one accasion, Puig decided to stop Bahamontes, who was immersed in a breakaway,
because Loroņo, in not very good physical condition, had lost several minutes,.The
foreign riders, mainly the French and the Belgian ones took clear advantage
of the situation and took the first positions in the Individual Overall Standings.
After the "skillful" Spanish performance, Stablinsky and Van Looy became the
only possible candidates for the triumph.
This situation was useful for the reconciliation, at least in public, between
Bahamontes and Loroņo, who supported each other during the last stages, though
with not very satisfactory results. Other Spanish riders, such as Manzaneque
and Otaņo also made very good use of the differences between Bahamontes and
Loroņo, since, very quietly, placed themselves among the first five classified
riders in the Individual Overall Standings.
The withdrawal of the Belgian rider Van Looy, due to physical problems, handed
the triumph to the French rider on a plate; Stablinsky arrived in Madrid being
the leader with a considerable difference of three minutes over the Italian
rider Fornara and the Spanish Manzaneque.
The Spanish riders had the confort of the mountain; not a great achievement
for somebody like Bahamontes, who was expecting to become the absolute leader
of the race. Jesús Loroņo, the other defeated rider in this edition, and the
French Hilarie Couvreur shared the podium with him.
