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Julio Jiménez (cyclist)

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Julio Jiménez
Jiménez on a 1969 Emirate of Ajman postage stamp
Personal information
Full nameJulio Jiménez Muñoz
NicknameLa pulga de Ávila (The Flea of Ávila), El Relojero de Ávila (The Watchmaker of Ávila)[1]
Born28 October 1934 (1934-10-28)
Ávila, Spain
Died8 June 2022 (2022-06-09) (aged 87)
Ávila, Spain
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeClimber
Professional teams
1960–1961Catigene
1962Faema
1963Flandria–Faema
1964–1965Kas–Kaskol
1966Ford France–Hutchinson
1967–1968Bic
1969Eliolona
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
Mountains classification (1965, 1966, 1967)
5 individual stages (1964, 1965, 1966)
1 TTT stage (1964)
Giro d'Italia
4 individual stage (1966, 1968)
Vuelta a España
Mountains classification (1963, 1964, 1965)
3 individual stages (1964, 1965)

One-day races and Classics

National Road Race Championships (1964)

Julio Jiménez Muñoz (28 October 1934 – 8 June 2022)[2] was a Spanish professional road racing cyclist.

Early life

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Jiménez's father was an ambulance driver during Spain’s Civil War, and later a chauffeur for a general in the Spanish army, who gave Jiménez his first bike as a gift. As an amateur rider, he won a stage at the 1960 Volta a Catalunya, which helped him earn his first professional contract.[3]

Career

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Known as a climbing specialist, he won the King of the Mountains title six times at Grand Tours. He won five stages of the Tour de France in his career; stage 20 of the 1964 Tour de France was one of the most famous stages in TDF history due to the battle up the Puy-de-Dôme between Anquetil and Poulidor. This stage was won by Jiménez, who was able to cross the line 0:11 ahead of Spanish climber Federico Bahamontes, 0:57 ahead of Poulidor, 1:30 ahead of Vittorio Adorni and 1:39 ahead of Anquetil.[4] Although beaten by Bahamontes in the Mountains classification at the 1964 Tour, Jiménez would win the Mountains classification at the next three Tours de France, also finishing second overall in 1967. In 1965, he became one of (now) four riders to complete the Tour/Vuelta double by winning both Tour's mountains competition in the same year. He also wore the leaders jersey at the 1964 Vuelta; and the 1966 and 1968 Giro d'Italia. He retired after the 1969 season, returning to his home town of Avila where he opened a nightclub and restaurant.[5] A short, steep pedestrianised street in Ávila, Cuesta de Julio Jiménez, is named in his honour.

Major results

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1960
1st Stage 5 Volta a Catalunya
1961
Vuelta a Colombia
1st Stages 6, 8, 9 & 11
1st Stage 1 (ITT) Eibarko Bizikleta
5th Campeonato Vasco Navarro de Montaña
5th GP Ayuntamiento de Bilbao
1962
1st Subida a Urkiola
1st Stage 4 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Stage 5 Volta a Catalunya
2nd Subida a Arrate
1963
1st Mountains classification, Vuelta a España
4th GP Ayuntamiento de Bilbao
5th Mont Faron Hill Climb
8th Road race, National Road Championships
9th Trofeo Jaumendreu
1964
1st Road race, National Road Championships
1st Subida a Urkiola
2nd Overall Eibarko Bizikleta
1st Stage 4
5th Overall Vuelta a España
1st Mountains classification
1st Stages 5 & 14
5th GP Ayuntamiento de Bilbao
6th Subida a Arrate
7th Overall Tour de France
1st Stages 3b (TTT), 13 & 20
1965
1st Overall Subida a Arrate
1st Stage 2 (ITT)
1st Subida a Urkiola
Tour de France
1st Mountains classification
1st Stages 9 & 17
Vuelta a España
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 10b
1966
Tour de France
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 16
2nd Subida al Naranco
2nd Circuit d'Auvergne
4th Overall Giro d'Italia
1st Stages 2 & 15
Held after Stages 2–12
1967
1st Polymultipliée
1st Stage 3 Tour de Luxembourg
2nd Overall Tour de France
1st Mountains classification
2nd Mont Faron Hill Climb
3rd À travers Lausanne
1968
2nd Overall Vuelta a Mallorca
1st Stage 4a
2nd Overall Polymultipliée
10th Overall Giro d'Italia
1st Stages 9 & 18

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

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Grand Tour 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
A gold jersey Vuelta a España 36 46 23 5 34 20
A pink jersey Giro d'Italia 4 10 36
A yellow jersey Tour de France 7 23 13 2 30
Legend
Did not compete
DNF Did not finish

References

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  1. ^ Clarke, Stuart (5 November 2015). "13 of the strangest nicknames in cycling". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  2. ^ Muere el exciclista Julio Jiménez, el 'Relojero de Ávila', a los 87 años (in Spanish)
  3. ^ "Meet Julio Jiménez: You think Bahamontes was Spain's greatest climber? Think again". VeloNews. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  4. ^ "1964 Tour de France by BikeRaceInfo".
  5. ^ "Meet Julio Jiménez: You think Bahamontes was Spain's greatest climber? Think again". VeloNews.com. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
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