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Alberto Fernández (cyclist)

Alberto Fernández
Personal information
Full name Alberto Fernández Blanco
Nickname El Galleta (The Biscuit)
Born (1955-01-15)15 January 1955
Cuena, Spain
Died 14 December 1984(1984-12-14) (aged 29)
Team information
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Rider type All-rounder
Professional team(s)
1978 Novostil-Helios
1979 Moliner-Vereco
1980–1982 Teka
1983–1984 Zor-Gemeaz
Major wins
Volta a Catalunya (1982)
Vuelta al País Vasco (1980)
Giro d'Italia, 2 stages
Vuelta a España, 1 stage

Alberto Fernández Blanco (15 January 1955 - 14 December 1984) was a Spanish road racing cyclist. His son Alberto Fernández Sainz is also a road racing cyclist.

Fernández was born in Cuena, Cantabria. As an amateur, he won the Spanish mountain bike championships, and turned professional in 1978. During his career, he was nicknamed el Galleta ("the Biscuit"), because the town where he lived, Aguilar de Campoo, had several biscuit factories.

Fernández tested positive for the stimulant Methylphenidate (Ritalin) on stage 17 of the 1982 Vuelta a España.

His best results came during the last two years of his career. He finished 10th overall in the 1982 Tour de France, and 3rd in his first appearance in the 1983 Giro d'Italia. He also finished 3rd in the 1983 Vuelta a España, improving to 2nd in 1984, only 6 seconds behind winner Éric Caritoux (the shortest winning margin in any of the Grand Tours).

He and his wife died in a car accident in December 1984, just short of his 30th birthday.


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