The statue that honors the cyclist Federico Martín Bahamontes in Toledo was found this Friday knocked down from its pedestal and has been removed from its location by firefighters, while the Local Police have opened an investigation to find the author or authors of the act of vandalism.
The vice mayor and councilor for Citizen Security and Civil Protection, Inés Cañizares, has announced the event in an audio sent by the City Council and has announced that the City Council will appear as injured in the complaint that has been filed, due to the damages that were caused. have caused.
In this sense, he stated that not only has there been material damage, but the public image of the city has been damaged, because the statue is dedicated to one of its most illustrious figures, who died on August 8 at the age of 95. , and who was the first Spaniard to win the Tour de France in 1959.
It is the second time that the statue of Bahamontes, which is located on Real del Arrabal street, in the Miradero area, within the rise to Zocódover square, has suffered an act of vandalism, which was already demolished in July 2019, shortly more than a year after it was inaugurated in May 2018.
On that occasion, several parts of the bronze sculpture were broken, which is 1.90 meters high and reproduces in real size the figure of the one who was called ‘The Eagle of Toledo’, due to the ease he had to face. climbs in the grand tours.
After suffering this new act of vandalism, the City Council has decided that the firefighters will remove it from the municipal park, who have already taken it to their facilities, said Cañizares, who has advocated “pursuing with all the legal force we can” this type of acts of vandalism.
