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Jose María Jiménez Sastre (6 February 1971 – 6 December 2003) was a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. During his career he excelled as a climber, winning numerous mountain stages. His nickname was El Chava.

Career

After a four month spell as a stagiaire (trainee), Jiménez turned professional at the beginning of the 1993 season with the Spanish team Banesto which he would be a part of for the rest of his career. In his first year, his teammates included Tour de France champions Pedro Delgado and Miguel Induráin. Even at an early point in his career, Jiménez was considered a potential successor of Induráin.

Vuelta a España

Jiménez was particularly successful in the Vuelta a España, winning nine stages in total, the points classification in 2001 and the mountains classification in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001. His four triumphs in the mountains classification of the Vuelta places him behind only José Luis Laguía as the rider with the most wins in the competition in the history of the race.

His best year in the Vuelta was 1998. Here, he took the overall lead for the first time in his career after winning stage 6. However, he acknowledged that the individual time trial on stage 9 would inevitably cost him the lead, as this was a weakness of his. As expected, Jiménez found himself just over three minutes down on his Banesto teammate Abraham Olano after the time trial. But Jiménez then won stages 10, 11 and 16, before finally taking back the overall lead from Olano with just two stages remaining. However, the following stage was another time trial in which he lost 2.50 to Olano and consequently the overall victory. Kelme rider Fernando Escartín also bested Jiménez by enough to knock him down into 3rd place overall, his final placing. Jiménez would never again lead the Vuelta. His second best overall performance was in 1999, in which he was 5th. Prior to that he was 12th in 1996 and 21st in 1997. He concluded his Vuelta career with three stage wins on his way to 17th place overall in 2001.

Other races

Of other noteworthy results, Jiménez won the Spanish National Road Race Championships in 1997 and secured overall victories in the 2000 Volta a Catalunya and in the Vuelta a La Rioja in both 1994 and 1997. He also competed in both of the other Grand Tours, the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. After a modest Giro d'Italia debut with 26th place in 1995, he was appointed leader of his Banesto team for the 1999 race and started off well by finishing 2nd after Marco Pantani on stage 8. However, a time trial and then a disastrous stage 14 followed, during which he lost over 20 minutes, making him drop to 38th overall. He eventually finished 33rd overall, never to return to the race.

He had more luck in his Tour de France starts, finishing 8th overall in 1997 after a consistent performance which included four top 10 results on individual stages. He also challenged for stage wins in the 2000 edition, managing 3rd on the mountainous stage 10 and 2nd on stage 15, only beaten by Marco Pantani. Nonetheless, he finished 23rd overall, some 52 minutes down on winner Lance Armstrong.

Style

Both on and off the bike, Jiménez was, with only a few exceptions, too erratic to ride consistently in stage races.

"He was a rider in the old style. When things went well, they went very well. When things didn't go well, they didn't go at all. He lost a lot due to reasons beyond his work, leaving cycling like that... all of the sudden."

— Miguel Induráin

He often attacked without considering the consequences, which however sometimes resulted in spectacular wins in the toughest mountain stages. A particularly memorable instance of this occurred during stage eight of the 1999 Vuelta a España. Jiménez attacked the 23% gradient of the Angliru in rain and fog to catch Pavel Tonkov's long solo break at the line and take the stage in a two-man sprint. As he crossed the line, he did not have the energy for the victory pose. It was the first time in the history of the race that the Angliru was used. However, he would subsequently pay for his attacking style in the next stage, where he would often lose by 10 or more minutes.

Death

Jiménez received psychological treatment for depression, and retired from professional cycling in 2002, at which point he got married. He died of a heart attack in a psychiatric hospital in Madrid at the age of 32, in December 2003.

Spanish cyclist Carlos Sastre is Jiménez's brother-in-law. He dedicated his victory in the 2008 Tour de France to Jiménez.

Career achievements

Major results

1992

1st Overall Circuito Montañés

1993

3rd Subida al Naranco

5th Subida a Urkiola

1994

1st Overall Vuelta a La Rioja

1st Stage 2a

1st Subida a Urkiola

3rd Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia

10th Subida al Naranco

1995

1st Overall Colorado Classic

1st Stages 1 & 3

2nd Overall Vuelta a La Rioja

2nd Road race, National Road Championships

9th Subida al Naranco

10th Overall Tour of the Basque Country

10th Overall Volta a Catalunya

1st Stage 4

1996

1st Subida a Urkiola

1st Mountains classification Vuelta a Burgos

9th Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme

1997

1st National Road Race Championship

1st Overall Vuelta a La Rioja

1st Stage 2

Vuelta a España

1st Mountains classification

1st Stage 19

2nd Subida al Naranco

2nd Subida a Urkiola

3rd Classique des Alpes

5th Overall Vuelta a Asturias

8th Overall Tour de France

1998

2nd Overall Vuelta a Asturias

1st Stage 5

3rd Overall Vuelta a España

1st Mountains classification

1st Stages 6, 10, 11 & 16

5th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

1st Mountains classification

1st Combination classification

1st Stage 3

7th Overall Vuelta a Burgos

1st Mountains classification

9th Overall Route d'Occitanie

1999

2nd Overall Vuelta a Aragón

3rd Overall Volta a Catalunya

3rd Subida a Urkiola

5th Overall Vuelta a España

1st Mountains classification

1st Stage 8

8th Overall Vuelta a Burgos

2000

1st Overall Volta a Catalunya

1st Stages 7 & 8 (ITT)

1st Classique des Alpes

2001

Vuelta a España

1st Points classification

1st Mountains classification

1st Stages 8, 11 & 12 (ITT)

2nd Subida a Urkiola

3rd Overall Vuelta a La Rioja

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Giro d'Italia	26	—	—	—	33	—	—
Tour de France	51	57	8	DNF	—	23	—
Vuelta a España	—	12	21	3	5	DNF	17

References

1. "www.cyclingnews.com - the world centre of cycling". autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
2. "José María Jiménez".
3. "Banesto 1993".
4. "Cyclisme - Jose Maria Jimenez meurt d'une crise cardiaque" (in French). Le Devoir. Associated Press. December 8, 2003. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
5. ^ "Vuelta stats for Jiménez". Retrieved April 26, 2018.
6. "Vuelta mountains classifications". Retrieved April 26, 2018.
7. ^ "Stage 6, 1998 Vuelta". Retrieved April 26, 2018.
8. "Stage 9, 1998 Vuelta". Retrieved April 26, 2018.
9. "Stage 20, 1998 Vuelta". Retrieved April 26, 2018.
10. ^ "Stage 21, 1998 Vuelta". Retrieved April 26, 2018.
11. "Leader´s jersey stats for Jiménez". Retrieved April 26, 2018.
12. "1999 Vuelta final standings". Retrieved April 26, 2018.
13. "1996 Vuelta final standings". Retrieved April 26, 2018.
14. "1997 Vuelta final standings". Retrieved April 26, 2018.
15. "José María Jiménez Sastre".
16. "Giro d'Italia 1995 Stage 22 results".
17. ^ "82nd Giro d'Italia, Grand Tour". autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
18. "José María Jiménez".
19. "José María Jiménez". firstcycling.com.
20. Jones, Jeff. "Armstrong takes Maillot Jaune with magnificent exploit to Hautacam". www.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
21. Tim Maloney. "Pantani powers to second stage win". www.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
22. "2000 Tour de France".
23. "A decade since Chava Jiménez's death". cyclingnews.com. December 6, 2013.
24. "www.cyclingnews.com - the world centre of cycling". autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
25. Martin Hardie (December 8, 2003). "A tribute to Jose-Maria Jimenez". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
26. Henry, Chris (December 8, 2003). "José Maria Jimenez dead at 32". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
27. "Humble star who defied lure of designer drugs". Independent.co.uk. July 27, 2008. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022.

External links

• Profile world-of-cycling.com
• Palmarès memoire-du-cyclisme.net (in French)

• 1971 births
• 2003 deaths
• Spanish male cyclists
• Spanish Vuelta a España stage winners
• Sportspeople from the Province of Ávila
• Cyclists from Castile and León