Alberto Fernández (cyclist)
Encyclopedia
Alberto Fernández Blanco (15 January 1955 - 14 December 1984) was a Spanish
road racing cyclist. His son Alberto Fernández Sainz is also a road racing cyclist.
Fernández was born in Cuena, Cantabria. As an amateur, he won the Spanish mountain bike
championships, and turned professional in 1978. During his career, he was nicknamed el Galleta ("the Biscuit"), because the town where he lived, Aguilar de Campoo
, had several biscuit
factories.
His best results came during the last two years of his career. He finished 10th overall in the 1982 Tour de France
, and 3rd in his first appearance in the 1983 Giro d'Italia
. He also finished 3rd in the 1983 Vuelta a España
, improving to 2nd in 1984
, only 6 seconds behind winner Éric Caritoux
(the shortest winning margin in any of the Grand Tours
).
He was killed, alongside his wife, in a car accident in December 1984, just short of his 30th birthday.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
road racing cyclist. His son Alberto Fernández Sainz is also a road racing cyclist.
Fernández was born in Cuena, Cantabria. As an amateur, he won the Spanish mountain bike
Mountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
championships, and turned professional in 1978. During his career, he was nicknamed el Galleta ("the Biscuit"), because the town where he lived, Aguilar de Campoo
Aguilar de Campoo
Aguilar de Campoo is a town in the province of Palencia, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is close to the River Pisuerga.-History:In 1255 Alfonso X the Wise declared it Villa Realenga...
, had several biscuit
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
factories.
His best results came during the last two years of his career. He finished 10th overall in the 1982 Tour de France
1982 Tour de France
The 1982 Tour de France was the 69th Tour de France, taking place July 2 to July 25, 1982. The total race distance was 22 stages over 2179 miles , with riders averaging 23.649 mph...
, and 3rd in his first appearance in the 1983 Giro d'Italia
1983 Giro d'Italia
The 1983 Giro d'Italia was held from 12 May to 5 June 1983. It was won by the Giuseppe Saronni.This 66th edition covered 3,916 km, for a total of 22 stages, completed at an average speed of 38.9 km/h.- General classification :- Maglia rosa holders :...
. He also finished 3rd in the 1983 Vuelta a España
1983 Vuelta a España
The 38th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 19 to May 8, 1983...
, improving to 2nd in 1984
1984 Vuelta a España
The 39th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 17 to May 6, 1984. It consisted of 19 stages covering a total of 3,593 km, and was won by Éric Caritoux of the Skil-Sem cycling team...
, only 6 seconds behind winner Éric Caritoux
Éric Caritoux
Éric Caritoux is a French former professional road racing cyclist who raced between 1983 and 1994. He had 22 victories in his career, the highlights of which were winning the Vuelta a España in 1984 and taking the French road race championships in 1988 and 1989...
(the shortest winning margin in any of the Grand Tours
Grand Tour (cycling)
In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour refers to one of the three major European professional cycling stage races:* Tour de France – Tour of France , held in July* Giro d'Italia – Tour of Italy , held in May...
).
He was killed, alongside his wife, in a car accident in December 1984, just short of his 30th birthday.