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By Barry Boyce, CyclingRevealed Historian
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Spanish Rivalry Benefits a Foreigner
Experts agreed that Vuelta a Espana 1971 was going to be very similar to the 1970 edition with Luis Ocana and Augstin Tamames starting as major favorites for the overall victory.
The early leader of the race Dutchman Rene Pijnen controlled affairs, but faded on Stage 9 from Jaca to Pamplona. A group of 20 riders broke away with 103 km to go on the stage. The lead grew to 6’05’ over a passive peloton with pre-race favorite Augstin Tamames driving the pace of the breakaway. Tamames won the stage and with the time bonus took the overall race lead by 2 seconds.
The Spanish media began to criticize defending champion Luis Ocana for his passive racing. Hurt by the critics, Ocana let loose on Stage 12 from Bilbao to Vitoria. At the start of the Orduna climb Ocana attacked with Belgian Ferdinand Bracke close behind. Ocana trailing in the General Calssification continued to drive the aggressive pace and dropped his breakaway companions on the Alto Herrera.
Ocana's solo Stage 12 win
The angry Spaniard soloed the final 50 km for the stage win, but Bracke in third place on the stage gained enough time to take the race lead.
The final assault on Bracke’s race lead came on Stage 14. Miguel Maria Lasa and Wilfried David joined a 4-rider breakaway that gained significant time on Bracke. Wilfried David won the stage and moved into second place in the General Classification.
Over the final 4 stages the unheralded Ferdinand Bracke, who was 32, rode a solid race and slipped into breakaways among the elites when no one considered him a threat. Bracke shared the podium with his countryman Wilfred David (Bel) and Luis Ocana (Spa).
SPECIAL NOTE: It was disappointing not to see Ocana or Augustin Tamames on the top of the 1971 podium, but even more disconcerting was the performance of the rest of the Spanish riders.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Prologue Almeria, 4.2 km ITT |
Rene Pijnen (Ned) |
Rene Pijnen (Ned) |
Stage 1 Almeria-Aguilas, 126 km |
Gert Harings (Ned) |
Rene Pijnen (Ned) |
Stage 2 Aguilas-Calpe, 245 km |
Eddy Peelman (Bel) |
Rene Pijnen (Ned) |
Stage 3 Calpe-Playa de Farnals, 164 km |
Cyrille Guimard (Fra) |
Rene Pijnen (Ned) |
Stage 4 Playa de Farnals-Benicasim, 175 km |
Hubert Hutsebaut (Bel) |
Domingo Perurena (Spa) |
Stage 5 Benicasim-Salou, 172 km |
Rene Pijnen (Ned) |
Rene Pijnen (Ned) |
Stage 6 Salou-Barcelona, 149 km |
Eddy Peelman (Bel) |
Rene Pijnen (Ned) |
Stage 7 Barcelona-Manresa, 179 km |
Walter Godefroot (Bel) |
Rene Pijnen (Ned) |
Stage 8 Balaguer-Jaca, 211 km |
Walter Godefroot (Bel) |
Rene Pijnen (Ned) |
Stage 9 Jaca-Pamplona, 175 km |
Agustin Tamames (Spa) |
Agustin Tamames (Spa) |
Stage 10 Pamplona-San Sebastian, 120 km |
Gerard Vianen (Ned) |
Agustin Tamames (Spa) |
Stage 11a San Sebastian-Bilbao, 140 km |
Gerben Karstens (Ned) |
Agustin Tamames (Spa) |
Stage 11b Bilbao-Bilbao, 2.650 km ITT |
J-A Gonzalez-Linares (Spa) |
Miguel Maria Lasa (Spa) |
Stage 12 Bilbao-Vitoria, 185 km |
Luis Ocana (Spa) |
Ferdinand Bracke (Bel) |
Stage 13 Vitoria-Torrelavega, 208 km |
Eddy Peelman (Bel) |
Ferdinand Bracke (Bel) |
Stage 14 Torrelavega-Burgos, 192 km |
Wilfried David (Bel) |
Ferdinand Bracke (Bel) |
Stage 15 Burgos-Segovia, 188 km |
Cyrille Guimard (Fra) |
Ferdinand Bracke (Bel) |
Stage 16 Segovia-Avila, 114 km |
Joop Zoetemelk (Ned) |
Ferdinand Bracke (Bel) |
Stage 17a Avila-Madrid, 138 km |
Willy Scheers (Bel) |
Ferdinand Bracke (Bel) |
Stage 17b Madrid-Madrid, 5.3 km ITT |
Rene Pijnen (Ned) |
 Ferdinand Bracke (Bel)
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BEST CLIMBER PRIZE |
 Joop Zoetemelk (Ned) |
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POINTS COMPETITION |
 Cyrille Guimard (Fra) |
| VaE April 29 - May 16, 1971 |
| 2,893 km |
1.
Ferdinand BRACKE (Bel) 73h50'05" |
2.
Wilfried David (Bel) +59" |
3.
Luis Ocana (Spa) +1'51" |
Starters: 110 |
Finishers: 68 |
Average Speed: 37.829 km/h |
VaE 1970
VaE 1972
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26th Vuelta a Espana 1971
