1964 Vuelta - Raymond Poulidor

Raymond Poulidor. Isn't that the man who always came second? Not in 1964! Poupou won the Vuelta that year, his only grand tour. Two days before the end saw a time trial finishing on a wooden track in Valladolid. Poulidor was sixth in the rankings and more than three minutes behind the unexpected leader Julio Jiménez. But the Frenchman delivered an impressive time trial. Peddling along a hilly course across the scorching hot Castille plateau, Poulidor outdistanced his opponents by several minutes, including the bonus seconds. The only one who could come close to Poulidor's time was Lois Proost. The Belgian astounded friend and foe alike by being only fifteen seconds slower. Proost was also hampered by traffic on the way: this was in 1964 and the route was apparently not completely closed off. In any case, Raymond Poulidor picked up the yellow leader's jersey and won the Vuelta.