Igor Antón Hernández (born 2 March 1983) is a Spanish former professional

road bicycle racer Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2018 for the , and squads.

Career

Born in

Galdakao Galdakao is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. It is located in the Greater Bilbao, in the valley of the Ibaizabal river, near the Ganguren mountain range. I ...

, Basque Country, Antón's first major achievement after turning professional in 2005, was winning the sixteenth stage of the

2006 Vuelta a España The 2006 Vuelta a España was held from 26 August to 17 September 2006, and was the 61st edition of the race. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of , and was won by Alexander Vinokourov of the cycling team. The Points classification in th ...

, between

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city gr ...

and the

Calar Alto Observatory The Calar Alto Observatory (Centro Astronómico Hispano en Andalucía or "Spanish Astronomical Centre in Andalusia") is an astronomical observatory located in Almería province in Spain on Calar Alto, a mountain in the Sierra de Los Filabres ra ...

. After impressing his team directors in 2007, where he won a stage at the

Tour de Romandie The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. I ...

, Antón was soon picked out to be the team leader for the

general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi-stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumulati ...

(GC) in the 2007 Vuelta a España where he ended up finishing 8th overall. The year started well, and in June he came second in the

Euskal Bizikleta Euskal Bizikleta (Spanish: ''Bicicleta Vasca'', English: ''Basque Bicycle'') was an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling stage race held in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country in June. From 2005 to 2008, the race was organ ...

. Later in the same month, Antõn won the second stage in the UCI ProTour race

Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...

. In the GC he came home third. In September at the Vuelta a España, Antón was in the best form of his career and held the pace of the likes of

Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vue ...

and

Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (born 25 April 1980) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . Valverde's biggest wins have been the Vuelta a España in 2009, Critérium du Dauphiné in 2008 and 2009 ...

up the mountains. A fall on the stage to

Alto de L'Angliru Alto de L'Angliru ( ast, L'Angliru; es, el Angliru) is a steep mountain road in Asturias, near La Vega-Riosa, in northern Spain. It is considered one of the most demanding climbs in professional road bicycle racing and is often used in the Vuelta a ...

ended his ambitions in the Vuelta. The fall caused a fractured collarbone, and Antón's season came to an early end. The 2009 season started slowly for Antón. He started the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

in July, but failed to make a great impression. The Tour was filled with bad luck for Antón as he had at least three falls during the start of the three-week race. However, Antón came out of the Tour in great form and took the season's only victory on 2 August, when he won the

Subida a Urkiola Subida a Urkiola is a one-day cycling race in Durango, Biscay of the Basque Country. The route starts in Durango and ends at the Sanctuary of Urkiola. The first edition began in 1931 and is organized by the Sociedad Ciclista Bilbaina, but has not ...

. In 2010, Anton proved to be a formidable rider in the Classics, taking 4th at

La Flèche Wallonne La Flèche Wallonne (, French for "The Walloon Arrow") is a men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Wallonia, Belgium. The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week betw ...

and 6th at

Liège–Bastogne–Liège Liège–Bastogne–Liège, also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium.Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993 First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five ''Monuments'' of the European professional r ...

. In the

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...

, Anton won Stage 4 and Stage 11 giving him the leader's jersey. However, on Stage 14 whilst wearing the leader's jersey, Anton crashed heavily on a descent and was forced to retire. In 2011, Anton won two grand tour stages. He won Stage 14 in the Giro d'Italia and Stage 19 in the

which were both summit finishes, the latter almost a 'home' stage with familiar climbs in

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. B ...

and concluding in

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

. In 2012, Anton built his whole season on the

2012 Vuelta a España The 2012 Vuelta a España started on 18 August 2012 and was the 67th edition of the race. The race began in Pamplona with a team time trial and ended on 9 September, as traditional, in Madrid. The 2012 edition saw the return of the Bola del Mundo ...

. He ended up finishing 9th overall after an impressive race in the mountains. Antón joined the for the 2014 season, after his previous team – – folded at the end of the 2013 season. In May 2015, Antón renewed with victory after a four-year drought. He won the mountainous first stage of the

Vuelta a Asturias Vuelta Asturias is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in early May each year. The event was first run in 1925 but has not been held consistently until 1968 to present. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI E ...

with fourteen seconds of an advantage over former Euskaltel teammate

Amets Txurruka Amets Txurruka Ansola (born 10 November 1982) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2006 and 2016 for the , , and teams. Career Born in Etxebarria in the Basque Country, Txurruka made his To ...

of . He would not let go of the lead on stage two, which was the last stage of the race. He finished with the lead group of five riders. Anton retired from racing after the last stage of the 2018 Vuelta a España. He was celebrated by the public on the streets of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, when riding in front of the peloton for a while. A few months later, his career was honoured by local football club

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country (autonomous com ...

at their stadium prior to a

derby match A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes, affecting participants, management, and supporters all to varying degrees. The intensity of the rivalry can range anywhere from a light hearted banter to serious violen ...

against

Eibar Eibar ( eu, Eibar, es, Éibar) is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country of Spain. It is the head town of Debabarrena, one of the '' eskualde / comarca'' of Gipuzkoa. Eibar has 27,138 inhabitants ( Eustat ...

Major results

;2004 : 3rd Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships : 5th Overall

Ronde de l'Isard The Ronde de l'Isard is a road bicycle race held annually in France. It is organized as a 2.2U event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union C ...

: 5th Overall

Volta a Lleida The Volta a Lleida was a road bicycle racing, road cycling stage race held in the Lleida (province), Lleida region of Spain. It was a 2.2 category race on the UCI Europe Tour between 2005 and 2008. List of overall winners {, class="wikitable" , ...

::1st Stage 5a ;2006 : 1st Overall

Escalada a Montjuïc The Escalada a Montjuïc (in Catalan, English: ''Scaling of Montjuïc'', Spanish: ''Escalada a Montjuïc'') was a one-day, two-stage road bicycle racing race held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain since 1965. It was held in the middle of October, as o ...

::1st Stage 1b ( ITT) : 1st Stage 16

: 3rd

: 5th Overall

Clásica Internacional de Alcobendas Clásica Internacional de Alcobendas is a three-day professional cycle road race held in Spain in May each year. The event was first run in 1984 but was not held in 1988 and 1990. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI E ...

;2007 : 2nd Overall

GP Internacional Paredes Rota dos Móveis The GP Internacional Paredes Rota dos Móveis is a road bicycle racing stage race held annually in the Portugal. Since 2006, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle rac ...

: 4th Overall

Vuelta a Castilla y León The Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León is a professional road bicycle stage race held in Castile and León, Spain. Since 2005, Vuelta a Castilla y León has been a part of the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bi ...

: 4th Overall

: 7th Overall

::1st Stage 4 : 8th Overall

: 8th

Klasika Primavera The Klasika Primavera ( en, Spring classic) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in April in Amorebieta, Spain. Since 2005, the race is organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road ...

: 9th

GP Miguel Induráin The Grand Prix Miguel Induráin ( es, Gran Premio Miguel Induráin), formerly the "Grand Prix Navarre" is a Spanish one-day road bicycle race. History The race was inaugurated in 1951, but was limited to local competition. It was rebranded after ...

;2008 : 2nd Overall

: 3rd Overall

::1st Stage 2 : 9th

Clásica a los Puertos de Guadarrama Clásica a los Puertos de Guadarrama is a professional cycle road race held in the Sierra de Guadarrama, Spain in late August each year. The event was first run in 1978 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour T ...

;2009 : 1st

;2010 :

::1st Stages 4 & 11 : 2nd Overall

::1st Stage 3 : 2nd

: 4th

: 6th Overall

Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid is a stage road bicycle race held annually in and around Madrid, Spain. Between 2005 and 2012, the race was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2013 the event was organised as a single-day race, for ...

: 6th

: 9th Overall

::1st Stage 5 : 9th Overall

Bayern–Rundfahrt The International Bayern Rundfahrt ( en, Tour of Bavaria) was a stage race cycling race held each year in Bavaria, Germany, between 1980 and 2015. The race was held as an amateur race between 1980 and 1988, and from 2005 to 2015, the race was orga ...

: 9th Overall

Vuelta a Burgos Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos province of Spain. The men's Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour since 2005. In 2019, a multi-day wo ...

;2011 : 1st Stage 14 Giro d'Italia : 1st Stage 19

: 1st

Mountains classification

Tour of Beijing The Tour of Beijing was an annual professional stage bicycle road race held in Beijing, China. History Its first edition took place in October 2011, as the penultimate event in the 2011 UCI World Tour The 2011 UCI World Tour was the third editi ...

: 3rd Overall

: 5th

: 8th Overall

;2012 : 3rd

: 7th Overall

Critérium International The Critérium International was a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring from 1932 until 2016, typically the last weekend of March. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932. For many years ...

: 9th Overall

;2013 : 2nd

: 6th

Vuelta a Murcia The Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia ( en, Tour of Murcia) is a road bicycle race held in and around Murcia, Spain. The first four editions were reserved to amateurs. Originally the race was held in early March and consisted of five stages. However, due ...

: 8th

;2014 : 4th

Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia – Clásica de Ordizia is a Spanish professional cycle road race held in Ordizia, Basque Country. The first edition was held in 1922. Since 2005, the race has been organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour ...

;2015 : 1st Jersey blue

Overall

::1st Stage 1 : 3rd Overall

;2016 : 9th Overall

: 9th

Gran Premio di Lugano The Gran Premio di Lugano ( en, Grand Prix of Lugano) is a road bicycle race held annually in Lugano, Switzerland. Prior to 1981 it was held as an individual time trial but in recent years it has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe ...

: 10th

Giro dell'Emilia The Giro dell'Emilia is a late season road bicycle race held annually in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour, and since 2020 it's part of the UCI ProSeries calendar. The ...

;2017 : 6th Overall

;2018 : 4th Overall

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

References

External links

* *
Team Profile (in Spanish)Palmares on CyclingBase.com (French)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anton, Igor 1983 births Living people People from Galdakao Cyclists from the Basque Country (autonomous community) Spanish male cyclists Tour de Suisse stage winners Spanish Vuelta a España stage winners Spanish Giro d'Italia stage winners Sportspeople from Biscay