Pedro Delgado

Pedro Delgado

Delgado in Zaragoza at the 2004 Vuelta a España

Personal information

Full name

Pedro Delgado Robledo

Nickname

Perico

Date of birth

April 15, 1960 (age 48)

Country

Spain

Team information

Current team

Retired

Discipline

Road

Role

Rider

Rider type

Climbing specialist

Professional team(s)

1982-1984
1985
1986-1987
1988-1994

Reynolds
Seat-Orbea
PDM
Reynolds/Banesto

Major wins

Tour de France (1988)
Vuelta a España (1985, 1989)

Infobox last updated on:

August 20, 2007

He became an impetus for change in cycling's doping regulations after testing positive for probenecid, a masking agent, during the 1988 Tour de France. Though other sports governing bodies, such as the IOC, recognized probenecid as a doping agent, the UCI, which oversaw cycling, did not, and thus Delgado was allowed to continue in the event without sanction.

He presently works as a sports commentator for Televisión Española during large cycling events.

He managed to finish his secondary school education before his professional success. He is 171 centimetres tall (5 ft 7-1/2 in) and used to weigh 64 kilograms (141 lb), which made him highly effective in the mountain stages. He had an aggressive racing style, making cycling a spectacle, which gained him support from many fans.

Arguably his most spectacular performance was not that of year of his win, but it was the following year when he made his defence of the 1988 yellow jersey. Showing up an astonishing 2'40" late for the prologue he put in a superb ride time (3rd fasted behind Charly Mottet and Greg LeMond), but actually finished the day last on the general clasification because the race organisors started the clock at the time Delgado should have ridden down the start ramp. He therefore became the only defending champion to begin the race proper as the last placed rider.

Clearly believing he could still win the 1989 Tour de France Delgado rode the whole race on the offensive, but a weak team time trial due to temporary illness, where he would have been dropped by his team had they not waited for him more or less cost him the race, and he finished in Paris third behind LeMond and Laurent Fignon. Even accounting for his 2'40" initial deficit Delgado would not have won the 1989 Tour because the time he lost in the team time trial.

Had it not been for the constant swapping between those two riders of the yellow jersey, and that final individual time trial by LeMond to take the race by the closet ever margin, Delgado's troubled race would certainly be the biggest drama of the 1989 Tour de France.

Trivia

Major results

Tour de France

1983: 15th overall
1984: did not finish
1985: 6th overall; winner stage 17
1986: did not finish; winner stage 12
1987: 2nd overall; 3rd points classification; 1st stage 19; Combativity award; 4 days in maillot jaune
1988: 1st overall; 3rd mountains classification; 11 days in maillot jaune; winner stage 13
1989: 3rd overall; 2nd mountains classification
1990: 4th overall
1991: 9th overall
1992: 6th overall
1993: 9th overall