Roberto Heras facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Roberto Heras

Heras at the 2005 Vuelta a España
Personal information
Full name	Roberto Heras Hernández
Born	(1974-02-01) 1 February 1974 (age 51) Béjar, Spain
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Weight	59 kg (130 lb; 9 st 4 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Climbing specialist
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 1 TTT stage (2003) Giro d'Italia 1 individual stage (1999) Vuelta a España General classification (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005) Points classification (2000) Combination classification (2002, 2004) 10 individual stages (1997, 1998, 2000, 2002–2005) Stage races Volta a Catalunya (2002)

Roberto Heras Hernández (born 1 February 1974) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He is famous for winning the Vuelta a España a record four times. The Vuelta a España is one of the three biggest cycling races in the world.

Between 1997 and 2005, Roberto Heras often finished in the top 5 of the Vuelta. In 2005, he won his fourth Vuelta, setting a new record. However, he was later disqualified from this win. Heras fought this decision in court. In 2012, a Spanish court decided that he should be given back his 2005 title.

Roberto Heras's Early Cycling Career

Roberto Heras became a professional cyclist in 1995. He joined the Spanish cycling team called Kelme. His first professional win was in 1996 at the Subida al Naranco race. Later that year, he won a stage in the Vuelta a España.

In 1997, he won another stage at the Vuelta. He also won the Clásica de Amorebieta. By 1999, he won stages in the Volta a Catalunya and the Giro d'Italia. He also finished third overall in the Vuelta a España that year. In 2000, he won two stages and the entire Vuelta. This big win caught the attention of the US Postal team.

Riding with Lance Armstrong

From 2001, Roberto Heras joined the US Postal Service team. He rode alongside famous cyclist Lance Armstrong. Heras was known as a climbing specialist. This meant he was very good at cycling up mountains. He helped Armstrong in the mountain stages of the Tour de France. Heras's best finish in the Tour de France was fifth place in 2000.

During the 2002 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong was in second place. The race was about to enter the high mountains. On a tough climb called the Tourmalet, Heras cycled incredibly fast. He set such a strong pace that many rival riders fell behind. Only Joseba Beloki could keep up with Armstrong. Heras's effort helped Armstrong take the lead in the race.

The next day, Heras again set a very fast pace on the final climb. This helped Armstrong's team control the race. Heras finished second in that stage, right behind Armstrong.

Dominating the Vuelta a España

Roberto Heras became a top rider in the Vuelta a España. He finished fifth in 1997 and won a stage. A year later, he was sixth and won another stage. In 1999, he finished third overall. He also finished sixth and won a stage in the Giro d'Italia that year.

His first overall win in the Vuelta came in 2000. He also won two stages and the points classification. He won the Vuelta again in 2003.

At the end of 2003, Heras left the US Postal team. He became the leader of the Spanish Liberty Seguros team. He was expected to do well in the 2004 Tour de France. However, he had to stop racing after stage 16.

Heras then entered the 2004 Vuelta a España. He won, matching Tony Rominger's record of three wins. In the early mountain stages, his win seemed easy. But in the last week, Santiago Pérez challenged him closely.

In the 2005 Vuelta a España, Heras won two mountain stages. He also nearly won the final time trial. This was surprising because he was not a time trial specialist. Heras won the Vuelta for the fourth time, setting a new record.

However, a drug test taken after the race showed an issue. Heras was disqualified and lost his 2005 Vuelta title. The win was then given to the second-place finisher, Denis Menchov.

Heras challenged the disqualification. He argued that the testing process had problems. He appealed the decision in court. In 2011, a court in Spain ruled in his favor. The Spanish cycling federation appealed this decision. But in December 2012, the Spanish Supreme Court agreed with the earlier ruling. Because of this, the Spanish cycling federation gave Heras back his 2005 Vuelta title. Heras later received compensation from the Spanish state for his lost earnings.

Career Achievements

Major Results

Images for kids

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  Gold jersey, worn by the leader of the Vuelta a España

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  Silver jersey, worn by the leader of the points classification in the Vuelta a España

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  Jersey worn by the leader of the Volta a Catalunya

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  White jersey, worn by the leader of the combination classification in the Vuelta a España

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  Orange jersey, worn by the leader of the mountains classification in the Vuelta a España

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  Maroon jersey, worn by the leader of the mountains classification in the Vuelta a España

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  Blue fish jersey, worn by the leader of the combination classification in the Vuelta a España

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  Orange, white, and green jersey, worn by the leader of the combination classification in the Vuelta a España

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  Pink jersey, worn by the leader of the Giro d'Italia

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  Yellow jersey, worn by the leader of the Tour de France