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 on May 14, 1957) is a retired professional road racing cyclist from the Basque region of Spain. He is famous for winning the 1982 Vuelta a España, which is a major cycling race. He also won the Clásica de San Sebastián three times (in 1981, 1982, and 1987). This race is now considered a very important one-day cycling event. In 1989, Lejarreta also won the Volta a Catalunya, repeating an earlier win from 1980.
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Marino Lejarreta's Cycling Journey
Marino Lejarreta was a very strong cyclist. He was known for his amazing endurance and ability to compete in many races. He achieved great success in the biggest cycling events, called Grand Tours.
Winning the Vuelta a España
In 1982, Lejarreta rode incredibly well in the 1982 Vuelta a España. He originally finished second in the race. However, after the race, the first-place rider and some others were found to have used banned substances. This led to a big scandal in the Vuelta's history. Because of this, Marino Lejarreta was declared the winner of the race. It was a special victory, even though he didn't cross the finish line in Madrid as the official winner at that moment.
Challenging the Best Riders
For the 1983 Vuelta a España, Lejarreta faced tough competition. He raced against famous cyclists like Bernard Hinault, who had strong teammates such as Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond. Other top riders included Hennie Kuiper and Spanish cyclists like Pedro Delgado. Lejarreta wore the leader's jersey early in the race and even won a mountain time trial. However, he had a crash and lost his lead.
During the challenging Lagos de Covadonga stage, he broke away from the main group of favorites. He rode alone to win the stage, but it wasn't enough to get back the overall lead. In the end, he finished second, just over a minute behind Bernard Hinault.
A Surprising Tour de France Stage Win
Later in his career, Lejarreta won his only stage in the Tour de France in a very unusual way. During the 1990 race, he was among the top riders. Cyclists like Delgado, Breukink, and LeMond were all fighting for the yellow jersey.
In Stage 14, Lejarreta attacked from the main group. He was trying to catch the riders who had already broken away to win the stage. When he crossed the finish line, he didn't celebrate. He thought he hadn't caught the very last breakaway rider. Back then, technology didn't give instant results like today. Lejarreta only found out he had won the stage when his team told him after he stopped riding!
Grand Tour Achievements
Marino Lejarreta won stages in all three Grand Tours: the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, and the Vuelta a España. He finished in the top 10 overall fifteen times in these major races. He placed in the top 10 seven times in the Giro, three times in the Tour, and five times in the Vuelta. This includes his 1982 win and two other podium finishes in the Vuelta.
Until 2015, Lejarreta was the only cyclist in history to complete all three Grand Tours in a single year four times! He did this amazing feat in 1987, 1989, 1990, and 1991. Another rider, Adam Hansen, has since completed all three Grand Tours in a season more times than Lejarreta. However, unlike Lejarreta, Hansen never competed for the overall win in those races. Lejarreta, on the other hand, finished in the top 10 in eight out of the twelve Grand Tours he completed during those four years.
Family in Cycling
Marino Lejarreta's brother, Ismael, was also a professional cyclist. His nephew, Iñaki, was also a professional cyclist but sadly passed away in a road accident at the age of 29.
Major Career Highlights
- Won the 1982 Vuelta a España (overall winner).
- Won the Clásica de San Sebastián three times (1981, 1982, 1987).
- Won the Volta a Catalunya twice (1980, 1989).
- Won a stage in the Tour de France (1990).
- Won two stages in the Giro d'Italia (1984, 1991).
- Won five stages in the Vuelta a España (1982, 1983, 1986).
- Completed all three Grand Tours in a single year four times (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991).
Grand Tour Performance Overview
This table shows Marino Lejarreta's overall results in the biggest cycling races, known as Grand Tours.
| 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 |
See also
In Spanish: Marino Lejarreta para niños
