Delio Rodríguez facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Delio Rodríguez | ||
| Born | 19 April 1916 Ponteareas, Spain |
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| Died | 14 January 1994 (aged 77) Vigo, Spain |
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| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Sprinter | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Delio Rodríguez Barros (born April 19, 1916 – died January 14, 1994) was a famous Spanish professional cyclist. He was known as a fantastic sprinter, meaning he was very fast in short bursts, especially at the end of a race.
Delio is most famous for his amazing success in the Vuelta a España, one of the biggest cycling races in the world. He holds the record for winning the most stages in this race!
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Becoming a Cycling Star
Delio Rodríguez started his professional cycling career in the late 1930s. He quickly showed how talented he was, especially in winning individual stages of races. A stage is one day's part of a longer race.
In 1941, Delio won an incredible 12 stages in the Vuelta a España. The next year, in 1942, he won 8 more stages. Even with all these wins, he didn't finish in the top five overall. This shows how strong he was in sprints, but perhaps not as strong in the mountains or time trials.
Winning the Vuelta a España
Because of World War II, the Vuelta a España wasn't held in 1943 and 1944. When the race returned in 1945, Delio was determined to win the whole thing.
In the 1945 race, Delio made a very smart move early on. He broke away from the main group of riders in stage 2. He rode so fast that he finished over half an hour ahead of everyone else! This huge lead helped him win the entire race.
By the end of the 1945 Vuelta, Delio had won by more than 30 minutes. He also won six individual stages and the points classification. The points classification rewards the most consistent sprinters.
More Vuelta Success
Delio continued to be a top rider in the Vuelta a España. In 1947, he finished third overall, which is a podium finish. He also added eight more stage wins to his record that year.
Over his career, Delio Rodríguez won an amazing 39 stages in the Vuelta a España. This is still the all-time record! He competed in five different Vuelta races to achieve this.
Family of Cyclists
Delio wasn't the only cyclist in his family. He had two younger brothers, Emilio and Manolo, who were also professional cyclists.
His brother Emilio actually won the overall Vuelta a España in 1950. Manolo, another brother, came in second place in the same race. It was quite a talented cycling family!
Key Achievements
Delio Rodríguez had many important wins throughout his career. Here are some of his most notable achievements:
- 1940: He won the overall title in races like GP Agustin, Vuelta a Alava, and Madrid-Salamanca-Madrid. He also won stages in the Volta a Catalunya.
- 1941: He won the overall Vuelta a Alava again. He also won many stages in the Volta a Catalunya, Circuito del Norte, and Vuelta a Navarra. He won the Subida al Naranco race. Most famously, he won 12 stages in the Vuelta a España.
- 1942: He won 8 stages in the Vuelta a España.
- 1943: He won stages in the Volta a Catalunya and won the Subida al Naranco for a second time.
- 1944: He won stages in the Volta a Catalunya and Vuelta a Cantabria.
- 1945: This was his biggest year! He won the overall Vuelta a España and the points classification. He also won 6 stages in that race. He also won the overall Tour of Galicia.
- 1946: He won 4 stages in the Vuelta a España.
- 1947: He finished third overall in the Vuelta a España and won the points classification again. He also won 8 stages in that race. He won stages in the Vuelta a Asturias and Vuelta a Burgos.
- 1948: He won stages in the Volta a Portugal and Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.
See also
In Spanish: Delio Rodríguez para niños
