Marino Lejarreta facts for kids
Lejarreta in 1987
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marino Lejarreta Arrizabalaga | ||
| Nickname | El Junco de Bérriz (The Reed of Berriz) | ||
| Born | 14 May 1957 Berriz, Spain |
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| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Marino Lejarreta Arrizabalaga (born May 14, 1957) is a famous retired Spanish road racing cyclist. He was known for being a very strong and consistent rider. His biggest win was the 1982 Vuelta a España, which is a major cycling race that lasts for several weeks. He also won the Clásica de San Sebastián three times (in 1981, 1982, and 1987), which is a very important one-day race. In 1989, Lejarreta won the Volta a Catalunya, a stage race he had also won earlier in his career in 1980.
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Marino Lejarreta's Cycling Career
Marino Lejarreta was a top cyclist for many years. He competed in some of the toughest races in the world. He was known for his endurance and ability to perform well in long, challenging events.
Winning the Vuelta a España
In 1982, Lejarreta rode very well in the 1982 Vuelta a España. He finished the race in second place. However, the rider who finished first, Ángel Arroyo, was later found to have used banned substances. Because of this, Marino Lejarreta was declared the winner of the race. It was a special victory, even though he didn't get to celebrate as the winner on the final day in Madrid.
The next year, in the 1983 Vuelta a España, Lejarreta was a strong competitor again. He faced famous riders like Bernard Hinault. Lejarreta even wore the leader's jersey for a few days and won some stages, including a tough mountain time trial. Despite a crash, he kept fighting and finished second overall, just a little over a minute behind Hinault.
Tour de France Stage Win
Later in his career, Lejarreta won his only stage in the Tour de France. This happened during the 1990 Tour de France. In Stage 14, he attacked from the main group of top riders. He was trying to catch the cyclists who had broken away earlier. When he crossed the finish line, he wasn't sure if he had won because the technology for showing instant results wasn't as advanced as it is today. He only found out he had won the stage when his team told him after he stopped riding!
Grand Tour Achievements
Marino Lejarreta was very successful in the three biggest cycling races, known as the Grand Tours: the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, and the Vuelta a España. He won stages in all three of these major races. He also finished in the top 10 of a Grand Tour fifteen times during his career. This included seven top 10 finishes in the Giro, three in the Tour, and five in the Vuelta, with three times finishing on the podium (top 3), including his 1982 win.
Lejarreta was also famous for completing all three Grand Tours in a single year, which is a huge challenge. He did this four times: in 1987, 1989, 1990, and 1991. For a long time, he was the only cyclist to achieve this feat so many times. Another rider, Adam Hansen, has since completed more Grand Tours in a single year. However, Lejarreta was unique because he often finished in the top 10 in these races, showing he was not just finishing, but competing at a high level.
Family of Cyclists
Cycling was a family affair for Marino Lejarreta. His brother, Ismael Lejarreta, was also a professional cyclist. His nephew, Iñaki Lejarreta, also became a professional cyclist, but sadly passed away at a young age in a road accident.
Major Race Results
Marino Lejarreta had many important wins and high finishes throughout his career. Here are some of his most notable achievements:
- 1980
- 1st Overall Volta a Catalunya
- 1st Overall Escalada a Montjuïc
- 5th Overall Vuelta a España
- 1981
- 1st Clásica de San Sebastián
- 1st Subida al Naranco
- 1982
- 1st Overall Vuelta a España
- 1st Clásica de San Sebastián
- 1st Overall Vuelta a La Rioja
- 1983
- 2nd Overall Vuelta a España
- 1st Points classification, Vuelta a España
- 1st Giro dell'Appennino
- 1984
- 4th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st Stage 19, Giro d'Italia
- 1985
- 5th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1986
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Burgos
- 1st Subida al Naranco
- 5th Overall Vuelta a España
- 1987
- 1st Clásica de San Sebastián
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Burgos
- 1st Overall Euskal Bizikleta
- 10th Overall Tour de France
- 1988
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Burgos
- 1st Subida a Urkiola
- 1989
- 1st Overall Volta a Catalunya
- 5th Overall Tour de France
- 10th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1990
- 1st Stage 14, Tour de France
- 5th Overall Tour de France
- 7th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1991
- 3rd Overall Vuelta a España
- 5th Overall Giro d'Italia
Grand Tour Finishes Timeline
This table shows Marino Lejarreta's overall finishing position in the three Grand Tours each year he competed.
| Grand Tour | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vuelta a España |
30 | 5 | DNF | 1 | 2 | DNF | — | 5 | 34 | DNF | 19 | 55 | 3 |
 Giro d'Italia |
— | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | 5 | — | 4 | — | 10 | 7 | 5 |
 Tour de France |
— | — | 35 | 37 | — | — | — | 18 | 10 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 53 |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
Images for kids
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Volta a Catalunya winner's jersey
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Mountains classification jersey from Volta a Catalunya
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Yellow jersey, often for overall leader
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Gold jersey, for overall leader in Vuelta a España
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Blue jersey, for points classification in Vuelta a España
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Violet jersey, for overall leader in Vuelta a Burgos
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Green jersey, for points classification
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Blue lines jersey, for points classification in Volta a Catalunya
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Pink jersey, for overall leader in Giro d'Italia
See also
In Spanish: Marino Lejarreta para niños
