Spanish · Segovia, Spain · Born 15 April 1960Spanish cyclist who won the 1988 Tour de France and two editions of the Vuelta a España, finishing in the top 10 of eighteen Grand Tours across his career.
Born Pedro Delgado Robledo on 15 April 1960 in Segovia, Spain, and known as 'Perico', Delgado turned professional in 1982 with the Reynolds team. He established himself as one of the finest climbers of his generation, engaging in a memorable multi-year rivalry with Ireland's Stephen Roche, most notably a fierce head-to-head throughout the 1987 Tour de France. Delgado's first Grand Tour victory came at the 1985 Vuelta a España. He won the Tour de France in 1988, a race overshadowed by controversy after he tested positive for the masking agent probenecid; because the substance had not yet been added to the UCI's banned list, he was not penalized and the result stood. He added a second Vuelta a España title in 1989 and finished in the top 10 of the general classification at eighteen separate Grand Tours across his career, along with four individual Tour de France stage wins between 1985 and 1988. His consistency across three-week races over more than a decade made him one of Spanish cycling's most durable and successful climbers. Delgado retired from professional racing in 1994 and later became a respected cycling television commentator in Spain, remaining a prominent figure in the sport's media coverage for decades afterward.
Winning the 1988 Tour de France and two editions of the Vuelta a España
How They Played
Explosive climbing specialist strong in mountain stages
Lasting Impact
One of Spain's most successful and durable Grand Tour climbers, later a respected television commentator
Spanish Athletes