|
Stages:
|
17 |
|
Kms:
|
2.921,6 |
|
Riders:
|
80 |
|
Teams:
|
8 |
|
Kms/hour:
|
36,633 |
|
Retired:
|
31 |
The FERRYS Team, the most powerful Spanish team
at the moment, had many possibilities to win Vuelta a España 1964: Pérez Francés,
Manzaneque and Otaño were included among its riders. Any of them was an option
with many chances of achieving the final victory. However, they were too many
"tough guys" for a single triumph, as it was proved later. All of them thought
that the others were going to do the hard work. The three Spanish riders became
immersed in a fraticidal wrestle which allowed the French rider, Raymond Poulidor
to achieve the victory very easily; he had been "the second" in all of the
Overall Standings but this time he was the first. Although he started the
Spanish race in his top form, Poulidor was clearly helped by the struggle
kept among the Spanish riders.
Eighty were the participants in this edition of Vuelta a España, but most
of them were ruled out very early; it was already in the second stage when
the race was almost decided. The Belgian rider protaginized an amazing breakaway
making good use of the wind which blew between Benidorm and Nules. Just thirteen
riders, who were the only ones who opted to the final victory, were able to
follow him to The Finish.
Van Looy abandoned in the sixth day, being Pérez Francés and Otaño the ones
who succeeded him in the leadership of the race; then, it passed on to the
hands of Julio Jiménez, winner in the Climbers Standings for the second consecutive
year, in the fourteenth stage after an spectacular breakaway protagonized
by the KAS Team. They were only three days away from the end of the race and
everything seemed to point to a Spanish triumph. It was then when Poulidor,
who had been expecting that moment, went into action; he did it in the following
stage, winning a 65-kilometre -long time trial which run between Villalón
de Campos and Valladolid. This effort lifted the French rider to the leadership
which he was able to keep during the last two stages. At last, after many
disappointments, Poulidor became the absolute winner in one of the big races
in stages.
