El Cojo de Bilbao (The Cripple of Bilbao)
Vicente Blanco was no ordinary athlete. He worked in the steel mills of the Basque Country, where two separate accidents cost him a large part of the function in his feet. He walked with great difficulty, but discovered that on a bicycle, his disability hardly hindered him at all. He was good—very good. Vicente won the very first Spanish National Cycling Championship in 1908 and repeated the feat in 1909.
In 1910, he decided he wanted to compete in the Tour de France. There was just one problem: the Spanish champion had no money, no team, and no transportation to the start in Paris.
The 1,000-Kilometer "Pre-Tour"
While the big stars traveled to Paris by train, Blanco climbed onto his heavy, gearless bicycle in Bilbao. He set off to the loud cheers of his fellow steelworkers.
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He cycled over 1,000 kilometers from Bilbao to Paris.
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He slept by the side of the road and ate whatever he could find.
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When he finally arrived in Paris, he was completely exhausted and literally starving.
A "Tramp" Tries to Register
When Vicente reported to the organizers, they saw a man who looked like a vagrant. He was skin and bones, covered in dust, and his feet were deformed. Legend has it that during registration, he simply said:
"I am here to show that the Basques do not only know how to work hard, but also how to suffer."
The Race Itself
Unfortunately, the 1910 Tour was the first edition to introduce the Pyrenees (including the infamous Tourmalet). Blanco, who already had an entire "Tour" in his legs before the race even began, started the first stage.
He arrived hours after the winner, outside the time limit. The combination of his disability, the hunger he had endured during his journey to Paris, and the brutal roads was too much. He was forced out of the race, but his story became legend. He had stolen the hearts of the public simply by showing up after a journey that was tougher than the race itself.
The "Father" of Spanish Cycling
Vicente Blanco—El Cojo de Bilbao—is a quintessential example of cycling in those days. Back then, it wasn't a sport of aerodynamics, wattages, training schedules, hotels, and luxury buses. It was about the pure will to survive.
In Spain, Vicente is still honored as the "father" of Spanish cycling. He won the first Spanish championship and was the first Spanish participant in the Tour de France. This Spanish cycling hero passed away in 1957 at the age of 73.
