José Manuel Fuente

José Manuel Fuente Lavandera, nicknamed El Tarangu like his father and grandfather, was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist who lived from 30 September 1945 to 18 July 1996. He raced as a professional from 1970 to 1976 and was regarded as one of the greatest climbers of his generation. He won the Vuelta a España twice, including 1972, and took the climbers classification at the Giro d'Italia four years in a row. In the 1972 Giro he fought a long duel with Eddy Merckx, leading early before Merckx retook the pink jersey. Kidney disease ended his career, after which he ran a cycle business in Oviedo and briefly served as directeur sportif of the CLAS team before his death at fifty.