Bizkaiko Bira
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Region | Biscay, Spain |
| English name | Tour of Biscay |
| Discipline | Road |
| Type | Stage race |
| History | |
| First edition | 1981 |
| Editions | 29 |
| Final edition | 2009 |
| First winner |  Julián Gorospe (ESP) |
| Most wins |  Hans Knauer (GER) |
| Final winner |  Fabricio Ferrari (URU) |
Bizkaiko Bira was a multi-day road cycling race held annually in Biscay, Spain. It was regarded as one of the most prestigious amateur races in the world. Many winners became professional after wining the race including Erik Dekker, Roberto Heras, Igor González de Galdeano and Julián Gorospe.
The race started in 1981 and lasted until 2009. The organizer was the Amorebieta Txirrindulari Elkartea (Cyclist Asociation of Amorebieta). They also organize the Klasika Primavera cyclist race. In 2005 due to economical problems, they refused to organize the race and Iñaki Barrenetxea Giraldez, a former professional rider took over for the next years. The race was supported by El Correo local newspaper, BBK. In 2010 the race was permananetly canceled.[1]
The first winner was the local cyclist Julián Gorospe.
Major results
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1981 | Julián Gorospe
|
| 1982 | Enrique Aja
|
| 1983 | Hans Knauer
|
| 1984 | Hans Knauer
|
| 1985 | Herminio Díaz Zabala
|
| 1986 | José María Palacín
|
| 1987 | Enrique Alonso
|
| 1988 |  Louis de Koning
|
| 1989 |  Barney St. Georges
|
| 1990 | Roberto Laiseka
|
| 1991 | Heinrich Trumheller
|
| 1992 | Erik Dekker
|
| 1993 | Igor González de Galdeano
|
| 1994 | Juan Carlos Domínguez
|
| 1995 | Roberto Heras
|
| 1996 | José Luis Urdiain
|
| 1997 | Ernesto Manchón
|
| 1998 |  Paul Bertino
|
| 1999 | Rubén Oarbeaskoa
|
| 2000 | Patxi Ugarte
|
| 2001 | Joan Fuentes
|
| 2002 | Mikel Elgezabal
|
| 2003 | José Ángel Gómez Marchante
|
| 2004 | David Pérez
|
| 2005 | David Gallego
|
| 2006 | David Martín
|
| 2007 | Alberto Fernández
|
| 2008 | Marcos García
|
| 2009 | Fabricio Ferrari
|
References
- ^ Press, Europa (2010-06-07). "Ciclismo.- Suspendida la 'Bizkaiko Bira' 2010 por falta de patrocinio". www.europapress.es. Retrieved 2022-04-18.