Who is Miguel Indurain?
After winning 5 Tours de France and an admirable professional career spanning more than 20 years, Miguel Induráin Larraya is recognised worldwide as the best Spanish cyclist of all time and one of the most outstanding athletes in the country, thanks to his debut, drive and desire to excel in sport over the years.
Why is Miguel Induráin so well known?
His great competitive spirit and sporting zeal led him to overcome all the obstacles that stood in his way, and lead a career that would leave an indelible mark on Spanish cycling and on sport worldwide. Currently, at 56 years of age, the Cycling Hall of Fame (Cycling Hall of Fame) places him in 5th place as one of the best cyclists in history along with Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Fausto Coppi.
For their part, specialist judges from the Tour de France itself rank him as the 8th best in the history of this competition. In addition, he has received many awards for his career over the years, including the Prince of Asturias Award for sports. A true cycling genius!
FIRST MEETING WITH CYCLING
Miguel Indurain Larraya He was born on 16 July 1964 in Villava (Navarra), about four kilometres from Pamplona. At the age of 10 he received his first bicycle as a gift, with which he could easily travel 20km to Alzórriz (his mother's original village). His first encounter with cycling would motivate him to participate in local competitions in his home town less than a year later, although the prizes back then were as simple as a sandwich and a soft drink.
Although he started out in different sports disciplines as a child, at a young age he discovered a passion for cycling which would lead him to officially join the Villavé Cycling Club in 1976, although he had already participated in races with them as a trial before. In 1978 he received his first card from the Spanish Cycling Federation, adopting this discipline as a way of life. With this team he obtained 20 victories before moving to the youth category; this skill made him the most promising boy in Navarre cycling at that time.
In 1984 he won the Spanish Amateur Championship after having signed for the Reynolds team. This catapulted him into his professional career, as it put him in the sights of the world's cycling professionals.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Since when has Miguel Induráin Larraya been cycling?
He really entered his professional career in 1984, after signing with the then “Reynolds”, which later became Banesto. His first debut took place on September 7 of that year, when at that time it was typically a “stagiaire” as a test, to gauge the professionalism of promising young cyclists.A year later he stood out in the Vuelta de España, becoming the youngest person to wear the yellow jersey in the Vuelta, although he did not ultimately win on that occasion.
In 1989, Miguel Indurain Larraya He became the first and only Spanish cyclist to win the Critérium International at that time and the Paris-Nice (Paris-Nice), also known as the Carrera del Sol. It was with Banesto, which he finally joined in 1990 -after its change of structure-, that Induráin Larraya began to channel his greatest successes and stand out in the world of cycling.
From 1991 he won numerous victories and prizes in short races, and then won his first Tour de France. From then on until 1996 he established himself with great success as one of the best Spanish cyclists, earning his place among the great competitors of the sport with a serious, concentrated, very confident and practically impeccable style, although powerful in time trials.
Miguel Indurain Larraya He knew how to handle each feat in an ingenious, professional and very talented way. His unprecedented record of 5 consecutive Tours de France made him stand out in a special way from the rest, going down in the history of French competition. In addition, he was greatly admired for debuting as champion in the Giro d'Italia, shining in this 5-year period as one of the most invincible cyclists of the decade. In fact, one of his most characteristic skills was that the cyclist always stood out in the time trial stages in his competitions, a skill that on many occasions made him worthy of his victories.
However, by 1996 he was already showing a little less focus on competition. By then, there were already rumours that the cyclist would retire from professional sport.
Finally, Miguel Indurain Larraya He officially announced his retirement from cycling in January 1997: “Today, January 2, 1997, I want to publicly announce my retirement from cycling."said 'Miguelón' - as his fans in Spain called him - when he formally announced his retirement from cycling.
His excellent treatment of the press is notable and he is admired throughout Spanish cycling as well as in his hometown of Villava, where a square, a sports centre and a sculpture have been dedicated to him.
Although he did not make many public appearances after he left cycling, he did participate in various sporting events and has been seen attending cycling races.
One interesting thing you probably didn't know about the cyclist is that unlike many other athletes, he doesn't have his own autobiography. However, some books have been published that tell the whole story of his career. Induráin's answer to autobiographies was the following: “The great ones have them, the ones who aren't so great and the small ones who want to seem great too. No, I don't like that stuff. People already know very well what my career and my story have been like. And that's it, it doesn't attract my attention.”
OTHER COMPETITIONS THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER
What has Miguel Indurain Larraya won?
Miguel Induráin Larraya won several one-week stage races and one-day classics. The most notable of these are the Volta a Catalunya in 1988, 1991 and 1992; Paris-Nice in 1989 and 1990; the San Sebastián Classic in 1990; the Spanish Road Championship in 1992 and the Dauphiné Libéré in 1995 and 1996.
Here is the complete list of the competitions in which he participated Miguel Indurain Larraya throughout his professional career:
- 1984
1st stage of the Tour de l'Avenir.
Iberdrola Trophy (amateur)
- 1985
2 stages of the Tour of the Future
- 1986
Tour of the Future (plus 2 stages)
- 1987
Tour of the Mining Valleys (plus 3 stages)
CF de Navarra Trophy
2 stages of the Catalan Week
Climb to Txitxarro (plus 1 stage)
- 1988
Tour of Catalonia (plus 1 stage)
1st stage of the Tour of Cantabria
1st stage of the Vuelta a Galicia
- 1989
Paris-Nice
International Criterion (plus 1 stage)
1 stage of the Tour de France
- 1990
Paris-Nice (plus 1 stage)
San Sebastian Classic
1 stage of the Tour de France
3rd in the Spanish Road Championship
- 1991
Tour de Vaucluse, (plus 1 stage)
2nd in the Vuelta a España
2 stages of the Basque Bicycle
Tour de France, (plus 2 stages)
Tour of Catalonia, (plus 1 stage)
3rd in the World Road Cycling Championship
2nd in the FICP Ranking
- 1992
1st stage of the Tour de Romandie
Giro d'Italia (plus 2 stages)
Spanish Road Championship
Tour de France (plus 3 stages)
1st stage of the Castilla y León Trophy
Tour of Catalonia
Aulne circuit
FICP Ranking
- 1993
Giro d'Italia (plus 2 stages)
2 stages of the Tour of the Mining Valleys
Tour de France (plus 2 stages)
2nd in the World Road Cycling Championship
2nd in the Spanish Road Championship
Castilla y León Trophy (plus 1 stage)
Classic of the Ports.
UCI Ranking
- 1994
1st stage of the Tour of the Valencian Community
Tour de l'Oise (plus 1 stage)
3rd in the Giro d'Italia
Tour de France (plus 1 stage)
1st stage of the Castilla y León Trophy
Hour record: 53,040 km
Spanish record 5 km — 5 min 43.947 s
Spanish record 10 km — 11 min 20.097 s
Spanish record 20 km — 22 min 38.510 s
2nd in the UCI Ranking
- 1995
1st stage of the Tour of Aragon
1st stage of the Tour of the Mining Valleys
Tour of La Rioja, (1 stage)
2 stages) of the Vuelta a Asturias
Free Midi
Dauphiné Libéré (1 stage)
Tour de France (2 stages)
2nd in the World Road Championship
World Time Trial Championship
Tour of Galicia (1 stage)
3rd in the UCI Ranking
- 1996
Tour of Alentejo (2 stages)
Tour of Asturias (1 stage)
Basque Bicycle (1 stage)
Dauphiné Libéré (2 stages)
Gold Medal Olympic Time Trial Championship.
AWARDS AND PRIZES BY MIGUEN INDURÁIN LARRAYA
What awards has Miguel Induráin Larraya received?
Miguel Induráin Larraya was awarded for his achievements and legacy with the following prizes:
- 1992
Golden Bike
Prince of Asturias Award
- 1993
Best Spanish athlete of the 20th century (El Mundo Deportivo)
- 1995
IOC Silver Olympic Order
- 1997
Gold and diamond medal from the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation
Olympic Order of the Spanish Olympic Committee
Gold Medal for Sporting Merit of Navarra
Brand Legend 1
- 2002
Universal Spanish Award
Miguel Induráin is without a doubt one of the greatest cycling stars in history and one of the greatest Spanish sports stars. Today he is still involved in sports talks and supporting foundations, so he is not 100% removed from the sport despite being retired.
He is always recognised as a true champion of cycling. To this day he is admired for his dedication and skills in the sport, and for holding Spain's name high in world cycling.
