Pedro Torres

Pedro Torres Cruces (born 27 April 1949 in Humilladero) is a Spanish former road bicycle racer. He was a GC contender in Grand Tours.

His first was the 1972 Vuelta. In the following year he placed 5th overall in the Vuelta and won the King of the Mountains competition, as well as a stage in the 1973 Tour de France. Late in the year at the World Championships he finished 6th.

In 1975 he took a top 10 in the Volta a Catalunya and then in the Vuelta he came up just short of winning the King of the Mountains while finishing 14th overall. In the Tour he finished 10th while taking a 4th place at the World Championships. In 1976 he started with another top 10 in the Volta a Catalunya, finished 9th in the 1976 Vuelta a España and just inside the top 20 in the Tour.

He began 1977 with another top 10 in the Volta a Catalunya and had a very strong performance in the 77 Vuelta winning stage 15, winning the King of the Mountains and finishing top 10 overall. He then rode the 1977 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and finished top 10 in a race that included Hinault, Merckx, Zoetemelk, Van Impe, Agostinho, Danguillaume and Thévenet. In the Tour he had his worst finish to date coming in just inside the top 20.

In 1978 he started off the year with a podium placing in the Volta a Catalunya. He also skipped the 78 Vuelta in favor of riding Paris–Nice and the Giro d'Italia for the first time. In the Giro he took two top 5 stage finishes en route to a top 20 finish. In 1979 he had another top 5 in the Volta a Catalunya, rode the Tour de Suisse for the first time and returned to the Vuelta where he finished 6th.

The 1980 Vuelta a España was the final Vuelta of his career as well as his strongest performance. He finished on the stage podium in each of the ITT's and finished in 2nd place overall. The 1980 Tour de France was his 15th and final grand tour. Nearly his entire team abandoned the race with only Jorge Fortia and Vicente Belda finishing with him.

Major results

1971 7th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía 1972 3rd Clásica de Sabiñánigo 7th Overall Volta a Catalunya 8th Overall Volta a Portugal 1973 Tour de France

1st Stage 14 3rd Overall Vuelta a Asturias 5th Overall Vuelta a España 5th Road race, National Road Championships 6th Road race, UCI World Road Championships 1974 1st Subida a Arrate 3rd Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 7th Overall Tour of the Basque Country 7th Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme 10th Overall Tour de France 1975 3rd Overall Vuelta a Aragón 3rd Overall Vuelta a Cantabria 4th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre 4th Road race, UCI World Road Championships 5th Trofeo Masferrer 6th Klasika Primavera 7th Overall Tour of the Basque Country 8th Overall Volta a Catalunya 10th Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 1976 3rd Overall Vuelta a Cantabria 6th Overall Volta a Catalunya 7th Overall Tour of the Basque Country 7th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre 9th Overall Vuelta a España 9th Road race, National Road Championships 10th Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme 1977 1st Stage 1 (ITT) Escalada a Montjuïc Vuelta a España

1st Stage 15 3rd Overall Vuelta a Cantabria 4th Trofeo Masferrer 6th Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 6th GP Villafranca de Ordizia 8th Clásica de Sabiñánigo 9th Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme 9th Road race, National Road Championships 10th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 10th Overall Volta a Catalunya 1978 2nd Overall Vuelta a Cantabria 3rd Overall Volta a Catalunya 3rd Trofeo Masferrer 5th Road race, National Road Championships 7th Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme 1979 2nd Overall Vuelta a Cantabria 4th Overall Volta a Catalunya 6th Overall Vuelta a España 9th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía 1980 2nd Overall Vuelta a España 2nd Overall Vuelta a Cantabria 1st Stage 5b 5th Road race, National Road Championships

Grand Tour general classification results timeline