Andrés Oliva (7 December 1948 – 5 July 2023) was a Spanish professional cyclist. Oliva was a great climber, so he ended up winning multiple Mountains Classifications. He won the

Mountains Classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing, Queen of the Mountains (QoM) is used. While the title may be given to the rider who achieves the highest p ...

at the

1975 Giro d'Italia The 1975 Giro d'Italia was the 58th running of the Giro, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started in Milan, on 17 May, with a set of split stages and concluded with a summit finish to the Passo dello Stelvio, on 7 June, with another split ...

and the

1976 Giro d'Italia The 1976 Giro d'Italia was the 59th running of the Giro d'Italia, Giro, one of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. It started in Catania, on 21 May, with a set of split stages and concluded in Milan, on 12 June, with another split sta ...

. Those were the only two years that Oliva raced the

Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

. In the 1975 edition Oliva finished 14th overall, that was his highest finish. Oliva also experienced success at the

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; ) is an annual stage race, multi-stage bicycle racing, 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'Ital ...

. He won the

at the

1975 Vuelta a España It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1976 Vuelta a España Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomat ...

, and

1978 Vuelta a España The 33rd Edition ''Vuelta a España'' (Tour of Spain), a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the three grand tours, was held from 25 April to 14 May 1978. It consisted of 19 stages covering a total of , and was won by Bernard Hinault of th ...

. Oliva's highest finish at the Vuelta a España was eleventh overall, he did that in both 1978 and

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

. He retired from cycling in 1980. Oliva died on 5 July 2023, at the age of 74.Muere Andrés Oliva, figura del ciclismo español, a los 74 años

References

1948 births 2023 deaths Spanish male cyclists Sportspeople from the Province of Toledo Tour de Suisse stage winners Cyclists from Castilla-La Mancha Vuelta a Asturias winners 20th-century Spanish sportsmen {{Spain-cycling-bio-1940s-stub