Former cyclist from Avila Julio Jiménez, 87, died this morning at the Nuestra Señora de Sonsoles de Ávila hospital after failing to overcome the injuries he suffered in a traffic accident last Tuesday. Two other octogenarians were also injured in the accident, when the vehicle in which they were traveling collided with a wall.
Jiménez, popularly known as “The watchmaker of Ávila”, achieved five victories in the Tour de France between 1959 and 1969 on his professional road, to which were added four more in the Giro d’Italia and another three in the Vuelta a España. He stood out as a great climber, which made him win the mountain jersey three times in both the Tour and the Vuelta.
After his death, one of the first reactions was that of the president of the Provincial Council of Ávila, Carlos García, who in a press release expressed his condolences, on behalf of the provincial corporation and the workers of the institution, to the relatives and biker friends.
García, who reviews some of his sporting achievements, affirmed that Jiménez “will always be a reference in sport from Avila and Spain”, since “his record speaks for itself to classify him as one of the greats of cycling in a few years in which cycling was forged as a heroic and exciting sport”.
Likewise, he highlighted his “human quality, his affability and his camaraderie, both in competition and in his personal life”, characteristics that “made him even more special”.
“The memory of Julio Jiménez, training and competing for the ports of the province of Ávila, will be perpetual and will be an example for current and future generations of cyclists that this land has always given”, said the president of the Ávila Provincial Council.
