José Manuel Fuente, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetJosé Manuel Fuente
Spanish racing cyclist
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Siero, Asturias, Spain
About José Manuel Fuente
- José Manuel Fuente Lavandera (September 30, 1945 in Limanes, Spain – July 18, 1996 in Oviedo, Spain) was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist. Fuente was a professional from 1970 to 1976.
- He had the same nickname as his father and grandfather, which was "El Tarangu", a word in the Asturian language for a man reputed for his strength and character.
- Fuente was known as one of the greatest climbers of his generation.
- He was a two-time winner of the Vuelta a España and won four consecutive climbers classification (or King of the Mountains) at the Giro d'Italia.
- He was rivals with the great cyclists of his time: Eddy Merckx and Luis Ocaña.
- He won the Vuelta a España in 1972, which at that time was held in late April and early May.
- Several weeks later, in the 1972 Giro d'Italia, Fuente had a great battle with Eddy Merckx.
- Fuente took the pink jersey as leader of the general classification early on in the race but Merckx took it back.
- On the mountain stage to Bardonecchia, Fuente put in an attack that put pressure on Merckx.
- Little by little, Merckx increased his pace and came back to Fuente and ended up winning the stage.Health problems due to kidney disease forced Fuente to retire in 1975.
- After retirement he opened a successful cycle business in Oviedo and in 1988 was appointed directeur sportif of the Clas team.
- This lasted only a year, after which he was replaced in 1989 by Juan Fernadez.
- Fuente died following a long battle with kidney disease at the age of 50.
Read more at Wikipedia