Photo via Cyclingnews

Ángel Arroyo, 'a legend of Spanish cycling', dies aged 70

Ángel Arroyo, the Spanish cyclist whose 1983 second-place finish in the Tour de France became a turning point for the country’s cycling revival, has died at the age of 70. Arroyo’s career, though marked by a single doping-related disqualification in the 1982 Vuelta a España (where he was stripped of the overall title after testing positive for methylphenidate), helped reignite Spanish cycling’s competitiveness.

His podium result in the Tour—highlighted by a dominant stage 15 time trial victory up the Puy de Dôme—came just years after Spain’s last Tour win by Luis Ocaña in 1973, and paved the way for future stars like Pedro Delgado (1988 winner) and Miguel Indurain (five-time winner in the 1990s). Arroyo also claimed a memorable stage win in the 1984 Tour, finishing sixth overall that year.

Beyond his racing, he remained a figurehead for Movistar (formerly Reynolds and Banesto), the sport’s longest-running team, which recently celebrated Enric Mas’s 2023 Vuelta a España victory. Former world champion Alejandro Valverde, now with the Spanish Cycling Federation, called Arroyo ‘one of the great names of Spanish cycling in the 1980s,’ while Movistar described him as ‘a legend’ whose 1983 Tour podium marked the team’s first-ever top-three finish in the race.

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