Spain
28 May 1971
1.80m
60kg
1995
Mapei (1995-1996), Banesto (1997-1999), Mapei (2000-2001), Coast (2002-2003), USPS (2003-2004) – joined USPS halfway through 2003
2005 was expected to be another solid year for one of Discovery Channel’s most trusted lieutenants, Manuel “Triki” Beltran, but several key crashes would eventually mar his season. Sixth overall at Ruta del Sol in February, eighth at the Tour de Romandie in May, and 16th overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in June – Beltran was truly set to help Lance with his seventh consecutive Tour de France. That is until he suffered a knee injury early on in the Tour and then a crash in stage 12 that literally knocked him out of the race. He was then hit by a motorcycle in a training accident in southern Spain while training for the Vuelta a España but was still able to start the race later that month. And then another pile up in the race towards the end of stage 12 aggravated the knee injury and Beltran had to abandon once again - bad luck in 2005 indeed.
Beltran raced in his first full season with the team in 2004 after joining midway through 2003 following the collapse of Team Coast.
The mountain specialist supported the team in the big stage races, rode another Tour de France and led the team in the Ardennes Classics. Beltran ended the season with the Tour of Spain and created a splash when he took over the lead after the fifth stage. He held onto the leader’s jersey for several stages until he fell back to 13th overall in the first road time trial.
Beltran rode in various stage races at the start of the 2004 season. Following his participation in the Amstel Gold Race he came 10th in the Flèche Wallonne. Illness and crashes prevented him from showing his best form on his fourth Tour de France, although he provided valuable help in the mountain stages.
He was forced to withdraw prematurely from the 2005 Tour de France after a crash in the 12th stage.
Beltran’s successes include sixth place in the 2003 Tour of Spain as well as ninth in 2002. In 1999 he won the Tour of Catalunya riding for Benesto and took fourth place in the Tour of Asturias and fifth in the Bicicleta Vasca.
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9th, stage 11, Tour of Spain
6th, stage 10, Tour of Spain
15th, stage 9, Tour of Spain
16th, GC, Dauphiné Libéré
15th, stage 6, Dauphiné Libéré
17th, stage 4, Dauphiné Libéré
8th, GC, Tour de Romandie
12th, stage 4, Tour de Romandie
5th, stage 3, Tour de Romandie
22nd, stage 2, Tour of the Basque Country
17th, stage 5, Paris-Nice
6th, GC, Ruta del Sol
11th, stage 2, Ruta del Sol
10th, Flèche Wallonne
13th overall, Vuelta a España
46th overall, Tour de France
4th Stage 8, Vuelta a España
13th overall, Vuelta a España |
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