# Mariano Cañardo

Mariano Cañardo Lacasta (5 February 1906 – 21 June 1987) was a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He won a record seven editions of the Volta a Catalunya in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as four Spanish national championship titles and one Tour de France stage win. Born in Olite, Navarra, his nickname was the Catalan of Olite.

## Biography

Cañardo grew up in Navarra, but, orphaned since 1919, he moved with his sister to Barcelona, Catalonia, where he discovered the bike. He was professional from 1926 until 1943, excelling mainly in the early Spanish stage races. An excellent climber and time triallist, Cañardo was next to invincible in the Volta a Catalunya, which he won seven times in addition to two second and two third places. In 1928 he won the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and in 1930 he became the first Spaniard to win the Tour of the Basque Country.
In 1935 he finished second overall to Belgian Gustaaf Deloor and won stage 5 in the first Vuelta a España. He won two stages at the 1936 Vuelta a España and one stage in the 1937 Tour de France. He won the first two runnings of the Tour of Morocco in 1937 and 1938. His career was hampered by the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939 when all racing in Spain was suspended, and World War II, which disrupted racing in the rest of Europe. He ended his career in 1943.
After retiring, he started a successful career as a sports director and race organizer. He was sports director of several cycling teams, among which the Spanish national cycling team, which entered the Tour de France from 1951 to 1953. Later he became race director of various Catalan races, including the Setmana Catalana and the Circuit Català. He was a member of the board of directors of the Spanish Cycling Federation and was president of the Catalan Cycling Federation from 1969 to 1974. He received the Medalla Forjadors for his merit in the sports history of Catalonia in 1987.

## Major results
### 1928

    Volta a Catalunya

### 1929

    Volta a Catalunya
    Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana

### 1930

    Circuito de Getxo
    Spanish National Road Race Championship
    Vuelta a Santander
    Volta a Catalunya
    Tour of the Basque Country
    Vuelta a Levante
    Barcelona

### 1931

    Spanish National Road Race Championship
    Madrid

### 1932

    Trofeo Masferrer
    Volta a Catalunya

### 1933

    Spanish National Road Race Championship
    Trofeo Masferrer
    Barcelona

### 1934

    Tour de France:
       9th place overall classification

### 1935

    Vuelta a España:
       Winner stage 5
       2nd place overall classification
    Volta a Catalunya

### 1936

    Stage 1 GP Republica
    Spanish National Road Race Championship
    Volta a Catalunya
    Vuelta a España:
       10th place overall classification
       Winner stages 7 and 15
    Palma de Mallorca
    Tour de France:
       6th place overall classification

### 1937

    Tour du Maroc
    Tour de France:
       Winner stage 14B

### 1938

    Tour du Maroc

### 1939

    Circuito del Norte (incl. 4 stages)
    Volta a Catalunya
    Madrid - Lisboa

### 1940

    Clasica a los Puertos de Guadarrama

### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 |
| Vuelta a España | No race | 2 | 10 | No race | No race |
| Giro d'Italia | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career |
| Tour de France | 9 | — | 6 | 30 | 16 |