King of the Mountains
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The King of the Mountains is the title given to the best climber in a cycling road race. While the title may be given to the rider who achieves the highest position over several designated climbs in a single-day road race, it is more usually applied to stage races (for example, the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia or Vuelta a España) where points are accumulated over the duration of the whole race.
In the Tour de France, at the top of each significant climb, points are awarded to the riders who are first over the top. The climbs are categorised from 1 (most difficult) to 4 (least difficult) based on their steepness and length. A fifth category, called Hors categorie (outside category) applies to mountains rated even more severe than first category. Similar ratings apply to climbs in the other major Tours.
In the Tour de France, the leader in the mountains competition wears a distinctive polka dot jersey (French: maillot à pois rouge). Although the King of the Mountains was first recognised in the 1933 Tour de France, the distinctive jersey was not introduced until 1975; in the Giro and Vuelta, the King of the Mountains leader wears a green jersey.
Two riders have won the "King of the Mountains" in the Tour de France six times: Federico Bahamontes (Spain) and Lucien Van Impe (Belgium), while Richard Virenque (France) holds the record with seven wins. Gino Bartali holds the record for the Giro d'Italia, also with seven wins, while Jose Luis Laguia has won the Vuelta equivalent five times.
No rider has won the "King of the Mountains" in all three Grand Tours in the same year. Indeed, only two riders, Federico Bahamontes and Luis Herrera, have won all three competitions in different years. Ten riders have achieved doubles.
The Tour/Giro double has been achieved by four riders:
The Giro/Vuelta double has been achieved by two riders:
The Tour/Vuelta double has also been achieved by four riders:
[edit] Most Wins (Grand Tours)
- 9: Federico Bahamontes - (Spain)
- Tour de France ((1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964)
- Giro d'Italia (1956)
- Vuelta a Espana (1957, 1958)
- 9: Gino Bartali - (Italy)
- Tour de France ((1938, 1948)
- Giro d'Italia (1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947)
- 8: Lucien Van Impe - (Belgium)
- Tour de France ((1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1983)
- Giro d'Italia (1982, 1983)
[edit] Grand Tours: Kings of the Mountains
| Year | Tour de France KoM | Nationality | Giro KoM | Nationality | Vuelta KoM | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Vicente Truebe | Spain | Alfredo Binda | Italy | - | - |
| 1934 | Rene Vietto | France | Remo Bertoni | Italy | - | - |
| 1935 | Felicien Vervaecke | Belgium | Gino Bartali | Italy | Edoaro Molinar | Italy |
| 1936 | Julian Berrendero | Spain | Gino Bartali | Italy | Salvodor Molina | Spain |
| 1937 | Felicien Vervaecke | Belgium | Gino Bartali | Italy | - | - |
| 1938 | Gino Bartali | Italy | Giovanni Valetti | Italy | - | - |
| 1939 | Sylvere Maes | Belgium | Gino Bartali | Italy | - | - |
| 1940 | - | - | Gino Bartali | Italy | - | - |
| 1941 | - | - | - | - | Fermin Trueba | Spain |
| 1942 | - | - | - | - | Julián Berrendero | Spain |
| 1945 | - | - | - | - | Julián Berrendero | Spain |
| 1946 | - | - | Gino Bartali | Italy | Emilio Rodriguez | Spain |
| 1947 | Pierre Brambilla | Italy | Gino Bartali | Italy | Emilio Rodriguez | Spain |
| 1948 | Gino Bartali | Italy | Fausto Coppi | Italy | Bernardo Ruiz | Spain |
| 1949 | Fausto Coppi | Italy | Fausto Coppi | Italy | - | - |
| 1950 | Louison Bobet | France | Hugo Koblet | Switzerland | Emilio Rodriguez | Spain |
| 1951 | Raphael Geminiani | France | Louison Bobet | France | - | - |
| 1952 | Fausto Coppi | Italy | Raphael Geminiani | France | - | - |
| 1953 | Jesus Lerono | Spain | Pasquale Fornara | Italy | - | - |
| 1954 | Federico Bahamontes | Spain | Fausto Coppi | Italy | - | - |
| 1955 | Charly Gaul | Luxembourg | Gastone Nencini | Italy | Giusseppe Buratti | Italy |
| 1956 | Charly Gaul | Luxembourg | Charly Gaul Federico Bahamontes |
Luxembourg Spain |
Nico Defilippis | Italy |
| 1957 | Gastone Nencini | Italy | Raphael Geminiani | France | Federico Bahamontes | Spain |
| 1958 | Federico Bahamontes | Spain | Jean Brankart | Belgium | Federico Bahamontes | Spain |
| 1959 | Federico Bahamontes | Spain | Charly Gaul | Luxembourg | Antonio Suárez | Spain |
| 1960 | Imerio Massignan | Italy | Rik Van Looy | Belgium | Antonio Karmany | Spain |
| 1961 | Imerio Massignan | Italy | Vito Taccone | Italy | Antonio Karmany | Spain |
| 1962 | Federico Bahamontes | Spain | Angelino Soler | Spain | Antonio Karmany | Spain |
| 1963 | Federico Bahamontes | Spain | Vito Taccone | Italy | Julio Jiminez | Spain |
| 1964 | Federico Bahamontes | Spain | Franco Bitossi | Italy | Julio Jiminez | Spain |
| 1965 | Julio Jiminez | Spain | Franco Bitossi | Italy | Julio Jiminez | Spain |
| 1966 | Julio Jiminez | Spain | Franco Bitossi | Italy | Gregorio San Miguel | Spain |
| 1967 | Julio Jiminez | Spain | Aurelio Gonzales | Spain | Mariano Diaz | Spain |
| 1968 | Aurelio Gonzales | Spain | Eddy Merckx | Belgium | Francisco Gabica | Spain |
| 1969 | Eddy Merckx | Belgium | Claudi Michelotto | Italy | Luis Ocana | Spain |
| 1970 | Eddy Merckx | Belgium | Martin Vandenbossche | Belgium | Augustin Tamames | Spain |
| 1971 | Lucien Van Impe | Belgium | Manuel Fuente | Spain | Joop Zoetemelk | Netherlands |
| 1972 | Eddy Merckx | Belgium | Manuel Fuente | Spain | Manuel Fuente | Spain |
| 1973 | Pedro Torres | Spain | Manuel Fuente | Spain | Jose Luis Abilleira | Spain |
| 1974 | Domingo Perurena | Spain | Manuel Fuente | Spain | Jose Luis Abilleira | Spain |
| 1975 | Lucien Van Impe | Belgium | Francisco Galdos Andres Oliva |
Spain Spain |
Andres Oliva | Spain |
| 1976 | Giancarlo Bellini | Italy | Andres Oliva | Spain | Andres Oliva | Spain |
| 1977 | Lucien Van Impe | Belgium | Faustino Fernandez Ovies | Spain | Pedro Torres | Spain |
| 1978 | Mariano Martinez | Spain | Ueli Sutter | Switzerland | Andres Oliva | Spain |
| 1979 | Giovanni Battaglin | Italy | Claudio Bertolotto | Italy | Felipe Yanez | Spain |
| 1980 | Raymond Martin | France | Claudio Bertolotto | Italy | Juan Fernandez | Spain |
| 1981 | Lucien Van Impe | Belgium | Claudio Bertolotto | Italy | Jose Luis Laguia | Spain |
| 1982 | Bernard Vallet | France | Lucien Van Impe | Belgium | Jose Luis Laguia | Spain |
| 1983 | Lucien Van Impe | Belgium | Lucien Van Impe | Belgium | Jose Luis Laguia | Spain |
| 1984 | Robert Millar | Scotland | Laurent Fignon | France | Felipe Yanez | Spain |
| 1985 | Luis Herrera | Colombia | Jose Luiz Navarro | Spain | Jose Luis Laguia | Spain |
| 1986 | Bernard Hinault | France | Pedro Munoz | Spain | Jose Luis Laguia | Spain |
| 1987 | Luis Herrera | Colombia | Robert Millar | Scotland | Luis Herrera | Colombia |
| 1988 | Steven Rooks | Netherlands | Andy Hampsten | USA | Alvaro Pino | Spain |
| 1989 | Gert Theunisse | Netherlands | Luis Herrera | Colombia | Oscar Vargas | Colombia |
| 1990 | Thierry Claveyrolat | France | Claudio Chiappucci | Italy | Martin Farfan | Colombia |
| 1991 | Claudio Chiappucci | Italy | Inaki Gaston | Spain | Luis Herrera | Colombia |
| 1992 | Claudio Chiappucci | Italy | Claudio Chiappucci | Italy | Carlos Hernandez | Spain |
| 1993 | Tony Rominger | Switzerland | Claudio Chiappucci | Italy | Tony Rominger | Switzerland |
| 1994 | Richard Virenque | France | Pascal Richard | Switzerland | Luc Leblanc | France |
| 1995 | Richard Virenque | France | Mariano Piccoli | Italy | Laurent Jalabert | France |
| 1996 | Richard Virenque | France | Mariano Piccoli | Italy | Tony Rominger | Switzerland |
| 1997 | Richard Virenque | France | Jose Jaime Gonzalez | Colombia | José Maria Jiménez | Spain |
| 1998 | Christophe Rinero | France | Marco Pantani | Italy | José Maria Jiménez | Spain |
| 1999 | Richard Virenque | France | Jose Jaime Gonzalez | Colombia | José Maria Jiménez | Spain |
| 2000 | Santiago Botero | Colombia | Francesco Casagrande | Italy | Carlos Sastre | Spain |
| 2001 | Laurent Jalabert | France | Freddy Gonzalez Martinez | Colombia | José Maria Jiménez | Spain |
| 2002 | Laurent Jalabert | France | Julio Perez Cuapio | Mexico | Aitor Osa | Spain |
| 2003 | Richard Virenque | France | Freddy Gonzalez Martinez | Colombia | Felix Cardenas | Colombia |
| 2004 | Richard Virenque | France | Fabian Wegmann | Germany | Felix Cardenas | Colombia |
| 2005 | Michael Rasmussen | Denmark | José Rujano Guillén | Venezuela | Joaquín Rodríguez | Spain |
| 2006 | Michael Rasmussen | Denmark | Juan Manuel Garate | Spain | Egoi Martínez | Spain |
