Happy birthday to Vincente Belda who was born on this day in 1954 in Alfafara, Spain.
The Spanish rider is best known for finishing 3rd in the 1981 Vuelta a Espana behind Giovanni Battaglin of Italy and Pedro Munoz of Spain.
In addition, Belda also won the 1979 Volta a Catalunya, 1982 Clásica a los Puertos de Guadarrama, 1983 and 1984 Subida al Naranco, 1984 Volta a Galicia, 1985 and 1986 Escalada a Montjuic and the 1987 Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme.
After his retirement from racing, Belda became the directeur sportif of the venerable Kelme cycling team.
Belda’s career was not without controversy however, as he tested positive for the stimulant Methylphenidate (Ritalin) during stage 17 of the 1982 Vuelta a España.
Additionally, Belda’s Kelme team was implicated in the Operacione Puerto doping scandal, for engaging in the widespread and systematic use of banned, performance enhancing drugs.
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