Igor González de Galdeano
Encyclopedia
Igor González de Galdeano Aranzabal (born November 1, 1973 in Vitoria-Gasteiz
, Basque Country
) is a Spanish
former professional road bicycle racer and current team manager of UCI ProTeam . Following a promising start to his career at Vitalicio Seguros
, where he finished the 1999 Vuelta a España
in second place, González de Galdeano became a key rival of Lance Armstrong
in the middle of his Tour de France
supremacy. In the 2002 Tour de France
, González de Galdeano wore the yellow jersey for seven days and in the 2003 Vuelta a España
wore the gold jersey for one day. At an average speed of 55.17 km/h, González de Galdeano also holds the record for the fastest stage win in the Vuelta a España, a feat which earned him the nickname Speedy González.
Yet, González de Galdeano saved his best for the Vuelta a España
in September. González de Galdeano won two stages - a 6 km prologue around Murcia
and a mountain stage which finished in Arcalis
, Andorra
. Despite his excellent time-trialling
skills, González de Galdeano eventually missed out on claiming the overall victory of the race when he lost nearly four minutes to the eventual race winner Jan Ullrich
on the penultimate stage, a time-trial, and so finished second. González de Galdeano also missed out on the points classification on the final stage when, having taken a lead into the final day, Frank Vandenbroucke
was able to breakaway from the peloton
and claim the points in intermediate sprints. Nevertheless, González de Galdeano had an excellent Vuelta and raised his profile immeasurably.
. ONCE targeted the Tour de France as well as the Vuelta a España, so González de Galdeano was able to start his first Tour in 2001
. ONCE had a fresh look in this 88th edition of the Tour: Laurent Jalabert
and Abraham Olano
were gone and the new team leader was Joseba Beloki
, who had finished third the previous year for Festina. It was in this Tour that González de Galdeano first demonstrated his excellent time-trialling skills to the world beyond Spain, placing second in both the short prologue around Dunkirk and also the 61 km test from Montlucon
to Saint Amand Montrond. González de Galdeano ultimately finished fifth in the Tour and helped Beloki to a second consecutive third place. González de Galdeano also had another good Vuelta
, placing fourth in the first stage time-trial and winning a road stage into Zaragoza
, breaking clear in the final kilometre to win the fastest ever stage in the Vuelta a España at 55.176 km/h and hencing coining his nickname, Speedy González.
In 2002, with an increasing reputation as a time-triallist who was competent in the mountains, González de Galdeano formed a small rivalry with Lance Armstrong, the 1993 World Cycling Champion and already three-time winner of the Tour. In the GP Midi Libre, González de Galdeano beat Armstrong in the time-trial and, following an intense ride by Armstrong in the mountains, eventually finished second in the general classification to him. Battle was resumed at the Tour de France, when in the team time trial ONCE-Eroski beat Armstrong's squad by 16 seconds to be clear of the American
by 7 seconds. González de Galdeano was able to retain the yellow jersey of race leader for seven stages. Although Armstrong did overhaul González de Galdeano and Beloki to claim his fourth Tour, ONCE improved their performance over the previous year: Beloki moved up a step on the podium to second and was clearly Armstong's principal threat, González de Galdeano once again finished fifth, and with strong riding from team mate José Azevedo
, who finished sixth, ONCE was able to claim the team competition. González de Galdeano also added the Spanish national time trial and the overall classification in the Deutschland Tour
to his record, along with a bronze medal in the world time trial championships in Zolder
.
A doping ban prevented González de Galdeano from taking part in the 2003 Tour de France
. González de Galdeano was adjudicated by the French authorities to have doped, for his use of the asthma
drug salbutamol
. However, the UCI
did not count this as a positive test so no sanction was applied. However, the French authorities took a more stringent line and prevented him for racing on French soil for six months, over the period of the Tour. Also, González de Galdeano had a good showing at the Deutschland Tour, finishing second on the fifth stage. However, on the penultimate stage, he crashed and broke his collarbone. As such, the planned appeal against the French ban became academic and González de Galdeano had to wait for the Vuelta. The 2003 Vuelta
proved to be González de Galdeano's last Grand Tour
as a leading protagonist. González de Galdeano went into the Vuelta as ONCE team leader, however, young team mate Isidro Nozal
rode well throughout, until the penultimate stage, a time trial in which he lost over two minutes to Roberto Heras
, the eventual race winner. González de Galdeano finished fourth overall.
had started, González de Galdeano had fallen to the role of domestique for new team leader Heras and his lieutenant Nozal. González de Galdeano retired on his 32nd birthday, on November 1, 2005. He stated that he decided to retire at this relatively young age as "I realized in the last Tour de France
that I lost my motivation."
, González de Galdeano combines studying at Basque Institute of Physical Education (IVEF)
with being a technical secretary at the Euskaltel-Euskadi team, where he had started his professional career in 1995. At Euskaltel, González de Galdeano's brief is to manage the team's training and to schedule the team's itineraries through the season.
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital city of the province of Álava and of the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain with a population of 235,661 people. It is the second largest Basque city...
, Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
) is a Spanish
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...
former professional road bicycle racer and current team manager of UCI ProTeam . Following a promising start to his career at Vitalicio Seguros
Vitalicio Seguros
Vitalicio Seguros was a Spanish professional road bicycle racing cycling team active between 1998 and 2000. It helped launch the careers of triple world champion Óscar Freire, 2000 Vuelta a España winner Ángel Casero and Tour de France yellow jersey wearer Igor González de Galdeano.The team was...
, where he finished the 1999 Vuelta a España
1999 Vuelta a España
The 1999 Vuelta a España was the 54th Vuelta a España, taking place from September 4 starting in Murcia and finishing in Madrid on September 26, 1999. It consisted of 21 stages over 3576 km, ridden at an average speed of 39.449 km/h. The favourites were Laurent Jalabert, Alex Zülle, Jan...
in second place, González de Galdeano became a key rival of Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
in the middle of his Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
supremacy. In the 2002 Tour de France
2002 Tour de France
The 2002 Tour de France started in Luxembourg on July 6, 2002, and ended in Paris on July 28. France was visited counter-clockwise, so the Pyrenees were there before the Alps...
, González de Galdeano wore the yellow jersey for seven days and in the 2003 Vuelta a España
2003 Vuelta a España
The 58th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 6 to September 28, 2003...
wore the gold jersey for one day. At an average speed of 55.17 km/h, González de Galdeano also holds the record for the fastest stage win in the Vuelta a España, a feat which earned him the nickname Speedy González.
Early racing career
González de Galdeano turned professional in 1995 with the Basque team Euskadi (which is now Euskaltel-Euskadi), which at the time was only in its second year of racing and suffering from financial hardship. During his three seasons at Euskadi, González de Galdeano achieved two stage victories and a number of sprints and mountains classifications. For the 1999 season, González de Galdeano moved on to the Spanish Vitalicio Seguros team, and it was in this season that González de Galdeano made a name for himself on the domestic racing scene. Early in the season, González de Galdeano won stage five and finishing fifth in the general classification of the Tirreno–Adriatico and adding three more top ten placings in regional Spanish stage races through the season.Yet, González de Galdeano saved his best for the Vuelta a España
1999 Vuelta a España
The 1999 Vuelta a España was the 54th Vuelta a España, taking place from September 4 starting in Murcia and finishing in Madrid on September 26, 1999. It consisted of 21 stages over 3576 km, ridden at an average speed of 39.449 km/h. The favourites were Laurent Jalabert, Alex Zülle, Jan...
in September. González de Galdeano won two stages - a 6 km prologue around Murcia
Murcia
-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...
and a mountain stage which finished in Arcalis
Vallnord
Vallnord is a ski/snowboard resort in the Pyrenees mountains in the country of Andorra, close to the border with Spain at Tor, Pallars.It encompasses the linked sectors of Pal and Arinsal and the Ordino-Arcalis sector some kilometres away.All the separate sectors within Vallnord contain...
, Andorra
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
. Despite his excellent time-trialling
Time trialist
A time trialist is a road bicycle racer who can maintain high speeds for long periods of time, to maximize performance during individual or team time trials...
skills, González de Galdeano eventually missed out on claiming the overall victory of the race when he lost nearly four minutes to the eventual race winner Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich is a German former professional road bicycle racer. In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. He went on to take five second places and a fourth in 2004 and third in 2005. He is considered one of the best time-trialists in the history of the sport...
on the penultimate stage, a time-trial, and so finished second. González de Galdeano also missed out on the points classification on the final stage when, having taken a lead into the final day, Frank Vandenbroucke
Frank Vandenbroucke (cyclist)
Frank Vandenbroucke , was a Belgian professional road racing cyclist. He was the great hope of Belgian cycling in the 1990s but a remarkable talent which appeared in his adolescence in athletics and then in cycle racing dissipated in a succession of drugs problems, rows with teams, suicide...
was able to breakaway from the peloton
Peloton
The peloton , field, bunch or pack is the large main group of riders in a road bicycle race. Riders in a group save energy by riding close near other riders...
and claim the points in intermediate sprints. Nevertheless, González de Galdeano had an excellent Vuelta and raised his profile immeasurably.
ONCE and the Armstrong rivalry
Following a lacklustre 2000 season and the demise of the Vitalicio Seguros squad, González de Galdeano moved to one of the top Spanish teams in , run by Manolo SaizManolo Saiz
Manuel "Manolo" Saiz Balbás is the former team manager of one of the most successful Spanish professional road bicycle racing teams, first called Team ONCE, then Liberty Seguros-Würth, Astana-Würth, and lastly Astana Team.Saiz was a hands-on manager and directeur sportif...
. ONCE targeted the Tour de France as well as the Vuelta a España, so González de Galdeano was able to start his first Tour in 2001
2001 Tour de France
The 2001 Tour de France was particularly difficult, having contained a 67-km long team time trial, two individual time trials and five mountain-top finishes on consecutive days, the second of which being the Chamrousse special category climb time trial. Thus, all the high-mountain stages were...
. ONCE had a fresh look in this 88th edition of the Tour: Laurent Jalabert
Laurent Jalabert
Laurent Jalabert is a French former professional road racing cyclist, from 1989 to 2002. Affectionately known as "Jaja" , he won many one-day and stage races and was ranked number 1 in the 1990s...
and Abraham Olano
Ábraham Olano
Abraham Olano Manzano is a Spanish Basque former professional road racing cyclist. His crowning achievement came in 1995 when he became World Road Champion...
were gone and the new team leader was Joseba Beloki
Joseba Beloki
Joseba Beloki Dorronsoro is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer.-Biography:Beloki turned professional in 1998 with Euskaltel-Euskadi, joined Festina in 2000, and then Team ONCE in 2001...
, who had finished third the previous year for Festina. It was in this Tour that González de Galdeano first demonstrated his excellent time-trialling skills to the world beyond Spain, placing second in both the short prologue around Dunkirk and also the 61 km test from Montlucon
Montluçon
Montluçon is a commune in central France. It is the largest commune in the Allier department, although the department's préfecture is located in the smaller town of Moulins. Its inhabitants are known as Montluçonnais...
to Saint Amand Montrond. González de Galdeano ultimately finished fifth in the Tour and helped Beloki to a second consecutive third place. González de Galdeano also had another good Vuelta
2001 Vuelta a España
The 56th Vuelta a España , a long-distance stage race and one of the 3 Grand Tours, was held from September 8 to September 30, 2001...
, placing fourth in the first stage time-trial and winning a road stage into Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
, breaking clear in the final kilometre to win the fastest ever stage in the Vuelta a España at 55.176 km/h and hencing coining his nickname, Speedy González.
In 2002, with an increasing reputation as a time-triallist who was competent in the mountains, González de Galdeano formed a small rivalry with Lance Armstrong, the 1993 World Cycling Champion and already three-time winner of the Tour. In the GP Midi Libre, González de Galdeano beat Armstrong in the time-trial and, following an intense ride by Armstrong in the mountains, eventually finished second in the general classification to him. Battle was resumed at the Tour de France, when in the team time trial ONCE-Eroski beat Armstrong's squad by 16 seconds to be clear of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by 7 seconds. González de Galdeano was able to retain the yellow jersey of race leader for seven stages. Although Armstrong did overhaul González de Galdeano and Beloki to claim his fourth Tour, ONCE improved their performance over the previous year: Beloki moved up a step on the podium to second and was clearly Armstong's principal threat, González de Galdeano once again finished fifth, and with strong riding from team mate José Azevedo
José Azevedo
José Bento Azevedo Carvalho is a Portuguese former professional road racing cyclist. As of 2010, he is also a team manager with Team RadioShack...
, who finished sixth, ONCE was able to claim the team competition. González de Galdeano also added the Spanish national time trial and the overall classification in the Deutschland Tour
Deutschland Tour
The Deutschland Tour was the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI ProTour and has been moved to August...
to his record, along with a bronze medal in the world time trial championships in Zolder
Zolder
The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlaemen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1980 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix. The F1 circus...
.
A doping ban prevented González de Galdeano from taking part in the 2003 Tour de France
2003 Tour de France
The 2003 Tour de France started and ended in Paris. Lasting from July 5 to July 27 the race covered 3,427.5 km , proceeding clockwise in twenty stages around France, including six major mountain stages...
. González de Galdeano was adjudicated by the French authorities to have doped, for his use of the asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
drug salbutamol
Salbutamol
Salbutamol or albuterol is a short-acting β2-adrenergic receptor agonist used for the relief of bronchospasm in conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is marketed as Ventolin among other brand names....
. However, the UCI
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
did not count this as a positive test so no sanction was applied. However, the French authorities took a more stringent line and prevented him for racing on French soil for six months, over the period of the Tour. Also, González de Galdeano had a good showing at the Deutschland Tour, finishing second on the fifth stage. However, on the penultimate stage, he crashed and broke his collarbone. As such, the planned appeal against the French ban became academic and González de Galdeano had to wait for the Vuelta. The 2003 Vuelta
2003 Vuelta a España
The 58th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 6 to September 28, 2003...
proved to be González de Galdeano's last Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
as a leading protagonist. González de Galdeano went into the Vuelta as ONCE team leader, however, young team mate Isidro Nozal
Isidro Nozal
Isidro Nozal Vega is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He has become somewhat famous for not showering during Grand Tours for fear that the water will soften his muscles...
rode well throughout, until the penultimate stage, a time trial in which he lost over two minutes to Roberto Heras
Roberto Heras
Roberto Heras Hernández is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer who won the Vuelta a España a record-tying three times. He broke the record with a fourth win in 2005, but was disqualified for taking EPO. In June 2011, Heras successfully appealed the disqualification in the civil court...
, the eventual race winner. González de Galdeano finished fourth overall.
Retirement and post-racing career
By the time the 2004 Vuelta2004 Vuelta a España
The 59th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 4 to September 26, 2004...
had started, González de Galdeano had fallen to the role of domestique for new team leader Heras and his lieutenant Nozal. González de Galdeano retired on his 32nd birthday, on November 1, 2005. He stated that he decided to retire at this relatively young age as "I realized in the last Tour de France
2005 Tour de France
The 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd Tour de France, taking place from July 2 to July 24, 2005. It comprised 21 stages over 3592.5 km, the winner's average speed was 41.654 km/h. The first stages were held in the département of the Vendée, for the third time in 12 years. The 2005 Tour was...
that I lost my motivation."
, González de Galdeano combines studying at Basque Institute of Physical Education (IVEF)
University of the Basque Country
The University of the Basque Country is the only public university in the Basque Country, in Northern Spain...
with being a technical secretary at the Euskaltel-Euskadi team, where he had started his professional career in 1995. At Euskaltel, González de Galdeano's brief is to manage the team's training and to schedule the team's itineraries through the season.
See also
- List of doping cases in cycling
- List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences