Igor González de Galdeano

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Igor González de Galdeano
González de Galdeano in the 2005 Paris-Nice
González de Galdeano in the 2005 Paris-Nice
Personal information
Full name Igor González de Galdeano Aranzabal
Nickname Speedy González
Date of birth November 1, 1973 (1973-11-01) (age 34)
Country Flag of Spain Spain
Team information
Current team Euskaltel-Euskadi
Discipline Road
Role Technical secretary
Rider type Time-triallist
Professional team(s)
1995-1998
1999-2000
2001-2005		 Euskadi
Vitalicio Seguros
O.N.C.E.
Managerial team(s)
2006- Euskaltel-Euskadi
(Technical secretary)
Major wins
Vuelta a España, 3 stages
Flag of Spain National Time Trial Champion (2002)
Deutschland Tour (2002)
Infobox last updated on:
December 28, 2006
Medal record
Competitor for Flag of Spain Spain
Road bicycle racing
World Championships
Bronze 2002 Zolder Elite Men's Time Trial
Igor González redirects here. For the Puerto Rican baseball player, see Juan González (baseball player).

Igor González de Galdeano Aranzabal (born November 1, 1973 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer and current technical secretary at UCI ProTeam Euskaltel-Euskadi. 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.[1]

Contents

[edit] Early racing career

González de Galdeano turned professional in 1995 with the Basque team Euskadi[2] (which is now Euskaltel-Euskadi), which at the time was only in its second year of racing and suffering from financial hardship.[3] During his three seasons at Euskadi, González de Galdeano achieved two stage victories and a number of sprints and mountains classifications.[2] 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[4] and finishing fifth in the general classification of the Tirreno-Adriatico[5] and adding three more top ten placings in regional Spanish stage races through the season.[2]

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[6] and a mountain stage which finished in Arcalis, Andorra.[7] 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,[8] a time-trial, and so finished second.[9] 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.[9] Nevertheless, González de Galdeano had an excellent Vuelta and raised his profile immeasurably.

[edit] O.N.C.E. 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 O.N.C.E.-Eroski,[2] run by Manolo Saiz. O.N.C.E. 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.[10] O.N.C.E. 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.[11] 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[12] and also the 61 km test from Montlucon to Saint Amand Montrond.[13] González de Galdeano ultimately finished fifth in the Tour and helped Beloki to a second consecutive third place.[14] González de Galdeano also had another good Vuelta, placing fourth in the first stage time-trial[15] 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[16] and hencing coining his nickname, Speedy González.[1]

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.[17] In the GP Midi Libre, González de Galdeano beat Armstrong in the time-trial[18] and, following an intense ride by Armstrong in the mountains, eventually finished second in the general classification to him.[19] Battle was resumed at the Tour de France, when in the team time trial O.N.C.E.-Eroski beat Armstrong's US Postal Service squad by 16 seconds to be clear of the American by 7 seconds.[20] González de Galdeano was able to retain the yellow jersey of race leader for seven stages.[21] Although Armstrong did overhaul González de Galdeano and Beloki to claim his fourth Tour, O.N.C.E. 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, O.N.C.E. were able to claim the team competition.[22] González de Galdeano also added the Spanish national time trial[23] and the overall classification in the Deutschland Tour[24] to his record, along with a bronze medal in the world time trial championships in Zolder.[25]

A combination of injury and French bureaucracy prevented González de Galdeano from taking part in the 2003 Tour de France.[26] 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.[27] 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 O.N.C.E. 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.[28] González de Galdeano finished fourth overall.[29]

[edit] Retirement and post-racing career

By the time the 2004 Vuelta 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."[30]

As of 2006, 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.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Galdeano announces his retirement", CNN.com, 2005-09-07. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. 
  2. ^ a b c d Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano Aranzabal. The Large Database of Professional Cyclists (2005-03-10). Retrieved on 2006-12-30.
  3. ^ Hill, Mark A. (2006-03-14). Fundación Euskadi - An Emancipation of the Basque People (PDF). Bikes Not Bombs: The History and Importance of Cycle Sport in the Assertion of Basque National Identity 25. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. “during 1996 the team failed to qualify and its financially precarious set up was highlighted by delays in paying the riders during August 1996”
  4. ^ "34th Tirreno-Adriatico, Stage 5 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 1999-03-14. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. 
  5. ^ "34th Tirreno-Adriatico, Stage 8 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 1999-03-17. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. 
  6. ^ "Vuelta a Espana 1999, Prologue Report", Cyclingnews.com, 1999-09-04. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. 
  7. ^ "Vuelta a Espana 1999, Stage 12 Report", Cyclingnews.com, 1999-09-17. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. 
  8. ^ "Vuelta a Espana 1999, Stage 20 Report", Cyclingnews.com, 1999-09-25. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. 
  9. ^ a b "Vuelta a Espana 1999, Stage 21 Report", Cyclingnews.com, 1999-09-26. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. 
  10. ^ Palmarès de Igor GONZALEZ GALDEANO (ESP) (French). L'historique du Tour depuis 1903 (2006-12-14). Retrieved on 2006-12-31.
  11. ^ 2000 - 87e Tour de France (French). L'historique du Tour depuis 1903 (2006-07-04). Retrieved on 2006-12-31.
  12. ^ Maloney, Tim. "88th Tour de France, Prologue Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2001-07-07. Retrieved on 2006-12-31. 
  13. ^ Maloney, Tim. "88th Tour de France, Stage 18 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2001-07-27. Retrieved on 2006-12-31. 
  14. ^ Maloney, Tim. "88th Tour de France, Stage 20 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2001-07-29. Retrieved on 2006-12-31. 
  15. ^ Jones, Jeff. "2001 Vuelta, Stage 1 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2001-09-08. Retrieved on 2006-12-31. 
  16. ^ Jones, Jeff. "2001 Vuelta, Stage 9 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2001-09-16. Retrieved on 2006-12-31. 
  17. ^ Jones, Jeff. "Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano: A challenger for Armstrong?", Cyclingnews.com, 2002-06-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-21. 
  18. ^ "54th Grand Prix du Midi-Libre, Stage 2 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2002-05-26. Retrieved on 2007-02-21. 
  19. ^ "54th Grand Prix du Midi-Libre, Stage 5 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2002-05-24. Retrieved on 2007-02-21. 
  20. ^ Maloney, Tim. "89th Tour de France, Stage 4 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2002-07-10. Retrieved on 2007-02-21. 
  21. ^ Maloney, Tim. "89th Tour de France, Stage 11 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2002-07-18. Retrieved on 2007-02-21. 
  22. ^ Maloney, Tim. "89th Tour de France, Stage 20 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2002-07-28. Retrieved on 2007-02-21. 
  23. ^ "Spanish National Road Championships - Day 2 - June 28: Junior Women's Road Race, Elite/U23 Men's ITT", Cyclingnews.com, 2002-06-28. Retrieved on 2007-02-21. 
  24. ^ Jones, Jeff. "4th Tour of Germany, Stage 7 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2002-06-09. Retrieved on 2007-02-21. 
  25. ^ Jones, Jeff. "2002 Road World Championships, Elite Men Time Trial results", Cyclingnews.com, 2002-10-10. Retrieved on 2007-02-21. 
  26. ^ 2003 Tour de France journals - Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano. Cyclingnews.com (July 2003). Retrieved on 2006-12-30.
  27. ^ Jones, Jeff. "Deutschland Tour - Stage 6 - June 8: Bretten - Bretten ITT, 40.7 km", Cyclingnews.com, 2003-06-08. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. 
  28. ^ Alvarez Macías, Hernán. "58th Vuelta a España, Stage 20 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2003-09-27. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. 
  29. ^ Alvarez Macías, Hernán. "58th Vuelta a España, Stage 21 Results", Cyclingnews.com, 2003-09-28. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. 
  30. ^ Igor González de Galdeano Retires. BiciRace.com (2005-08-09). Retrieved on 2006-12-28.

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME González de Galdeano Aranzabal, Igor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Professional road bicycle racer
DATE OF BIRTH 1973-11-01
PLACE OF BIRTH Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH