Miguel Poblet

[Nick C.]

The only time I hear his name is "the only Spanish rider to podium at XYZ was..." His contempories of the 50s/60s all get much play in the magazines and literature but not a whisper about him. He won multiple stages at all three Grand Tours, 2 Milan San Remos, podiums at Paris Roubaix etc. etc.
Anyone have anything on this rider beyond what I can get from Wikipedia?

 

[khardung la]

I don´t know what you got in the wikipedia, but the guy is still a living legend in Spain, a true pioneer. Strangely, even if he was the first big Spanish cyclist, the next generations followed instead the steps of Bahamontes (climber, GT contender, Tour de France..). It was not until probably Freire that Spain got again some cyclists of the same characteristics, creating interest for races like the Milano-San Remo or other races more suited to sprinters.

However in Spain people still use to like more the Bahamontes style than the Poblet style

 

[Nick C.]

Thanks for the input. I was not aware he had such status, though with such a palmares he certainly should. Interesting point about how the Bahamontes style of rider became the model while it was @ thirty years until Freire came along for a sprinter/one-day racer to pick up the mantle.

 

[Derrick]

He was ,of course the guy who rode Brian Robinson from one side of the rode to the other and back again so getting himself disqualified and giving Robbo a much needed Tour stage victory.

 

[icefire]

Bahamontes and Poblet were exact contemporaries (they were born in 1928). I recall at least two great cyclists from Spain older than Poblet and Bahamontes.

Julián Berrendero (b.1912) was the KOM in the 1936 Tour and won the Vuelta in 1941 and 1942. Sadly, most of his career was during the time when Spain first, and then the rest of Europe, were in war.

Jesús Loroño (b.1926) was also KOM in the 1953 Tour and winner of the 1957 Vuelta.

So the tradition of Spanish climbers and stage race contenders is older than Bahamontes. And the interest of media, sponsors and public in stage races and GC contenders is massive compared to that of 1 day races.

Poblet is a living legend, but it was a singularity in the Spanish peloton. Guys like Freire and Flecha are also a singularity. All of them have spent most of their careers in non-Spanish teams even if they started in the pro-peloton at a time when Spanish sponsors for competitive teams were not as hard to find as today.

EDIT: First Spanish cyclist who won the TDF KOM was Vicente Trueba, in 1933. He finished 6th in the GC. Spanish climbers were around when Miguel Poblet was just 5

 

[khardung la]

Bahamontes and Poblet were exact contemporaries (they were born in 1928). I recall at least two great cyclists from Spain older than Poblet and Bahamontes.

EDIT: First Spanish cyclist who won the TDF KOM was Vicente Trueba, in 1933. He finished 6th in the GC. Spanish climbers were around when Miguel Poblet was just 5

Yeah sure, I agree there were other great climbers before. But it was in the fifties when cycling stars really made it to the media and the masses in Spain, specially thanks to the need of the dictatorship to give elements of pride to the spaniards in a time of isolation and post-war.

That was specially so with Bahamontes and to a lesser extent with Poblet, for the first time. The fact that there were some few TVs and short propaganda documentaries before the films at the cinema (NO-DO) made their victories available to the grand public. They were the 2 main references, specially Bahamontes.

 

[Derrick]

Apologies to everyone, especially Mr Poblet. He wasn,t involved in the Robinson affair. I woke up at about 3 this morning realizing I was mistaken. I do remember vaguely an article in one of those sepia Mirroir Sprint mags about a DQ but as it,s 50 years ago can I plead diminished responsibility due to old age?