Juan Antonio Flecha

Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (born September 17, 1977 in Junín, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine-born Spanish professional road bicycle racer for the UCI ProTour team Rabobank. He gained fame in 2003 when he became the first rider born in Argentina to win a Tour de France stage while riding for the Spanish iBanesto.com team. As he rode across the finish line he performed a unique victory salute: he pantomimed releasing an arrow from a bow in homage ... more

Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (born September 17, 1977 in Junín, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine-born Spanish professional road bicycle racer for the UCI ProTour team Rabobank. He gained fame in 2003 when he became the first rider born in Argentina to win a Tour de France stage while riding for the Spanish iBanesto.com team. As he rode across the finish line he performed a unique victory salute: he pantomimed releasing an arrow from a bow in homage to his family name. The 2004 season saw him as a co-leader in the Italian Fassa Bortolo for the Classics and one-day races, with notable finishes in various races from the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and victories in Züri-Metzgete and the Giro del Lazio. He often shared team leadership with Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara, with whom he says he works very well. The following season with Fassa Bortolo in 2005 saw podium finishes in Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix, establishing him as one of the best one-day racers... less