Alejandro Federico Martín Bahamontes

Alejandro Federico Martín Bahamontes was born in Santo Domingo-Caudilla, Toledo. Growing up in deep poverty during and after the Spanish Civil War, he used a delivery bicycle to transport black-market goods between towns, developing extraordinary climbing endurance on the rugged hills of New Castile.

Turning professional in 1953, Bahamontes became arguably the purest and most devastating mountain climber in cycling history. He won the King of the Mountains classification in the Tour de France six times (1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, and 1964). In 1959, supported by national manager Fausto Coppi's strategic advice, Bahamontes captured overall victory in the Tour de France, becoming the first Spanish champion in race history. Famed for his flamboyant eccentricities—including once eating an ice cream cone at the top of the Col de la Romme while waiting for his pursuers—he was voted the greatest climber in Tour de France history by L'Équipe in 2013.