24 Famous Cyclists Who Changed the Sport

Born: September 21, 1998, in Slovenia

Top Cycling Speed: Approximately 118.8 km/h (73.8 mph), recorded during a descent at the 2020 Tour de France.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, UCI Road World Championships, Vuelta a España, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Il Lombardia, Strade Bianche

Brief History:
Tadej Pogačar is a Slovenian professional cyclist who has become the defining rider of his generation. He won his first Tour de France in 2020 at just 21 and has since demonstrated an unusual ability to dominate both three-week Grand Tours and one-day Classics.

In 2024, Pogačar became only the third male cyclist in history, after Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche, to win the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and UCI Road World Championship in the same season. He successfully defended both his Tour de France and world road titles in 2025.

Pogačar claimed his fifth Tour de France in 2026, becoming the youngest rider to reach five victories and joining Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Induráin as the only cyclists to win the Tour five times.

His 2026 season ended prematurely after a crash while leading the Vuelta a España on Stage 8. His crash injuries required surgery and prevented him from defending his rainbow jersey at the UCI Road World Championships in Montréal.

Accomplishments:

• Five-time Tour de France winner: 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, 2026
• 26 Tour de France stage victories through 2026
• 2024 Giro d’Italia winner
• Two-time UCI Road World Champion: 2024, 2025
• Completed the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and World Championship “Triple Crown” in 2024
• Five-time Il Lombardia winner: 2021–2025
• Four-time Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner
• Three-time Tour of Flanders winner
• 2026 Milan-San Remo winner
• Four-time Strade Bianche winner

2. Eddy Merckx

Born: June 17, 1945, in Meensel-Kiezegem, Belgium

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable maximum race speed is documented. Merckx averaged 49.431 km/h (30.72 mph) when he set the UCI Hour Record in 1972.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, UCI Road World Championships, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Il Lombardia

Brief History:
Eddy Merckx, known as “The Cannibal” for his relentless drive to win, dominated professional cycling from the mid-1960s through the 1970s. Unlike riders who specialized in Grand Tours, sprinting, climbing, or one-day races, Merckx won across nearly every major form of road racing.

The Belgian won the Tour de France five times, the Giro d’Italia five times, and the Vuelta a España once. He also won three UCI Road World Championships and remains the record holder with 19 victories across cycling’s five Monuments. He is one of only three riders to have won all five Monuments and the only cyclist to combine that achievement with victories in all three Grand Tours.

Merckx also has a significant connection to the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal. He won the 1974 World Championship road race in Montréal, completing a season in which he also won the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France. The World Championships return to Montréal in 2026, 52 years after Merckx won the rainbow jersey there.

Accomplishments:

• Five-time Tour de France winner: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974
• Five-time Giro d’Italia winner
• 1973 Vuelta a España winner
• Three-time UCI Road World Champion: 1967, 1971, 1974
• Record 19 Monument victories
• Record seven Milan-San Remo victories
• Five Liège-Bastogne-Liège victories
• Three Paris-Roubaix victories
• Two Tour of Flanders victories
• Two Il Lombardia victories
• 34 Tour de France stage victories, now second only to Mark Cavendish
• Record 65 total Grand Tour stage victories
• Set the UCI Hour Record in 1972 at 49.431 km

3. Lance Armstrong

Born: September 18, 1971, in Richardson, Texas

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, UCI Road World Championships, Clásica de San Sebastián, La Flèche Wallonne, Tour DuPont

Brief History:
Lance Armstrong is an American former professional cyclist whose career remains one of the most famous and controversial in cycling history. Before the Tour de France years that made him a global celebrity, Armstrong became UCI Road World Champion in 1993 at age 21 and won a Tour de France stage that same year. He later won the 1995 Clásica de San Sebastián and La Flèche Wallonne in 1996.

In 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had spread to other parts of his body. After treatment, he returned to professional cycling and finished first in seven consecutive editions of the Tour de France from 1999 through 2005. Those performances became central to his international fame and public image as a cancer survivor.

That record was later erased. In 2012, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency disqualified Armstrong's competitive results dating from August 1, 1998, and imposed a lifetime ban following its investigation into systematic doping. The UCI accepted USADA's findings and formally stripped Armstrong of all seven Tour de France titles. The races from 1999 through 2005 remain without an official winner. Armstrong publicly admitted in 2013 that he had used performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career.

Despite the disqualifications, Armstrong remains one of the most recognizable names in cycling, particularly in the United States. His rise brought professional cycling to a much larger American audience, while the subsequent doping investigation became one of the most consequential scandals in the sport's history.

Accomplishments:

• 1993 UCI Road World Champion
• 1993 U.S. professional road race champion
• Tour de France stage winner in 1993 and 1995
• 1995 Clásica de San Sebastián winner
• 1996 La Flèche Wallonne winner
• Two-time Tour DuPont winner: 1995, 1996
• Finished first in seven consecutive Tours de France from 1999–2005, but all seven titles and his results from August 1, 1998 onward were later disqualified for anti-doping violations
• Returned to professional cycling after treatment for metastatic testicular cancer

4. Jonas Vingegaard

Born: December 10, 1996, in Hillerslev, Denmark

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Paris-Nice, Volta a Catalunya, Critérium du Dauphiné, Tirreno-Adriatico

Brief History:
Jonas Vingegaard is a Danish professional cyclist and one of the leading Grand Tour riders of his generation. A gifted climber and stage-race specialist, he emerged as a major Tour de France contender when he finished second to Tadej Pogačar in 2021.

Vingegaard reversed that result in 2022, defeating Pogačar to win his first Tour de France, then successfully defended the yellow jersey in 2023. Their rivalry has since become one of the defining storylines of modern professional cycling.

After finishing second at the Tour in both 2024 and 2025, Vingegaard expanded his Grand Tour résumé by winning the 2025 Vuelta a España. In 2026, he won the Giro d’Italia on his first attempt, becoming the first Danish cyclist to win the race. The victory also made him one of the relatively small group of cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours during their careers.

Vingegaard's 2026 season also included overall victories at Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya. He returned to the Tour de France in July and wore the yellow jersey after Visma-Lease a Bike won the opening team time trial, but he did not finish the race.

Accomplishments:

• Two-time Tour de France winner: 2022, 2023
• 2026 Giro d’Italia winner and first Danish cyclist to win the race
• 2025 Vuelta a España winner
• Winner of all three Grand Tours during his career
• Three-time Tour de France runner-up: 2021, 2024, 2025
• Four individual Tour de France stage victories
• Five Giro d’Italia stage victories in 2026
• Five Vuelta a España stage victories
• 2026 Paris-Nice winner
• 2026 Volta a Catalunya winner
• 2024 Tirreno-Adriatico winner
• 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné winner

5. Mark Cavendish

Born: May 21, 1985, in Douglas, Isle of Man

Top Cycling Speed: 74.7 km/h (46.4 mph), recorded during his winning sprint on Stage 3 of the 2022 Giro d’Italia.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, UCI Road World Championships, Milan-San Remo, UCI Track World Championships, Olympic Games

Brief History:
Mark Cavendish is a retired British cyclist from the Isle of Man and one of the most successful sprinters in professional cycling history. Nicknamed the “Manx Missile,” Cavendish built his career around explosive finishing speed, positioning, and an exceptional ability to win bunch sprints at the highest level.

Cavendish won his first four Tour de France stages in 2008 and eventually tied Eddy Merckx's long-standing record of 34 Tour stage victories in 2021. After a crash ended his 2023 Tour and delayed his planned retirement, Cavendish returned for one final attempt at the record.

On July 3, 2024, at age 39, he won Stage 5 of the Tour de France in Saint-Vulbas to claim his 35th Tour stage victory, surpassing Merckx and becoming the outright record holder. He retired from professional cycling at the end of the 2024 season with 165 road victories.

Cavendish's success extended well beyond Tour de France sprints. He won the 2011 UCI Road World Championship, Milan-San Remo, stages and points classifications across all three Grand Tours, three Madison world championships on the track, and an Olympic silver medal.

Accomplishments:

• Record 35 Tour de France stage victories
• 2011 UCI Road World Champion
• Two-time Tour de France points classification winner: 2011, 2021
• 17 Giro d’Italia stage victories
• Three Vuelta a España stage victories
• Won the points classification in all three Grand Tours
• 2009 Milan-San Remo winner
• Three-time UCI Track World Champion in the Madison: 2005, 2008, 2016
• 2016 Olympic silver medalist in the omnium
• 165 professional road victories

6. Mathieu van der Poel

Born: January 19, 1995, in Kapellen, Belgium

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: UCI Road World Championships, UCI Cyclocross World Championships, Tour de France, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, UCI Gravel World Championships

Brief History:

Mathieu van der Poel is a Dutch professional cyclist known for competing at the highest level across road racing, cyclocross, mountain biking, and gravel. The grandson of Tour de France winner Raymond Poulidor and son of former professional cyclist Adrie van der Poel, he emerged as an elite cyclocross rider before becoming one of the world's most successful one-day road racers.

Van der Poel won the elite men's road race at the 2023 UCI Road World Championships and has built an exceptional record in cycling's Monuments. Through 2026, he has won eight Monuments, including three victories each at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix and two at Milan-San Remo.

His record in cyclocross is even more extensive. In February 2026, Van der Poel won his eighth elite cyclocross world championship, adding another world title to a career that has made him one of the most accomplished cyclocross riders in history.

Van der Poel continues to compete across disciplines. In 2026, he returned to elite mountain biking while maintaining a full road program, including two Tour de France stage victories. 

Van der Poel added another World Championship medal in September 2026, finishing third in the elite men’s road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Montréal. Brandon McNulty won the 273.4 km race, with Michael Matthews second and Van der Poel taking bronze, 13 seconds behind McNulty. The result gave Van der Poel another road World Championship podium to go with his 2023 world title and 2024 bronze medal.

Accomplishments:

• 2023 UCI Road World Champion
• 2024 and 2026 UCI Road World Championships bronze medalist
• Eight-time elite UCI Cyclocross World Champion through 2026
• 2024 UCI Gravel World Champion
• Three-time Tour of Flanders winner
• Three-time Paris-Roubaix winner
• Two-time Milan-San Remo winner
• Eight career Monument victories through September 2026
• Multiple Tour de France stage victories
• Wore the Tour de France yellow jersey for six days in 2021
• Winner of UCI Mountain Bike World Cup races in cross-country and short track

7. Wout van Aert

Born: September 15, 1994, in Herentals, Belgium

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, UCI Cyclocross World Championships, UCI Road World Championships, Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold Race

Brief History:
Wout van Aert is a Belgian professional cyclist known for his versatility across road racing and cyclocross. He began his career as a cyclocross specialist, winning three consecutive elite UCI Cyclocross World Championships from 2016 through 2018 before becoming one of the most versatile riders in professional road cycling.

On the road, Van Aert has won bunch sprints, individual time trials, mountain stages, and major one-day Classics. At the Tour de France, he has won 10 stages across varied terrain. In 2022, he won the Tour's green jersey and was named the race's most combative rider.

His Classics résumé includes victories at Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold Race, and Milan-San Remo. In April 2026, Van Aert added one of the biggest victories of his career by winning Paris-Roubaix, his second Monument victory after Milan-San Remo in 2020.

Later in 2026, Van Aert raced the Vuelta a España, where he won two stages and the points classification and was named the race’s Super-Combative rider. He finished his season at the UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, placing 28th in the elite men’s road race. Van Aert is still seeking his first elite road world title after earning silver medals in 2020 and 2023.

Accomplishments:

• Three-time UCI Cyclocross World Champion: 2016, 2017, 2018
• 2026 Paris-Roubaix winner
• 2020 Milan-San Remo winner
• 10 Tour de France stage victories through 2025
• 2022 Tour de France points classification winner
• 2026 Vuelta a España points classification winner
• Two Vuelta a España stage victories in 2026
• Grand Tour stage winner at the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España
• 2020 Strade Bianche winner
• 2021 Amstel Gold Race winner
• Two-time E3 Saxo Classic winner: 2022, 2023
• Three-time Belgian national time trial champion
• Olympic silver medalist in the road race at Tokyo 2020
• Two-time UCI Road World Championship silver medalist: 2020, 2023

8. Remco Evenepoel

Born: January 25, 2000, in Aalst, Belgium

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable maximum race speed is consistently documented. At the 2026 UCI World

Championships in Montréal, Evenepoel averaged 52.4 km/h (32.6 mph) over the 39.2 km individual time trial.

Notable Races/Events: UCI Road World Championships, Olympic Games, Vuelta a España, Tour de France, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Clásica de San Sebastián

Brief History:
Remco Evenepoel is a Belgian professional cyclist known for his time-trial ability, long-range attacks, and success in both stage races and one-day events. After initially pursuing soccer, he switched to competitive cycling as a teenager and quickly emerged as one of the sport's leading young riders.

Evenepoel won his first Grand Tour at the 2022 Vuelta a España, becoming Belgium's first Grand Tour winner in more than four decades. That same year, he won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and became UCI Road World Champion.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Evenepoel became the first male cyclist to win both the road race and individual time trial at the same Olympic Games.

His dominance against the clock has continued at the World Championships. On September 20, 2026, Evenepoel won the elite men's individual time trial in Montréal by more than 57 seconds over Filippo Ganna. It was his fourth consecutive individual time trial world title, making him the first elite male cyclist to win four consecutive championships in the event.

He also tied Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin with four career elite men's ITT world titles. Evenepoel also competed in the elite men’s road race in Montréal, finishing 12th, 25 seconds behind winner Brandon McNulty.

Accomplishments:

• 2022 Vuelta a España winner
• 2022 UCI Road World Champion
• Four consecutive UCI Individual Time Trial World Championships: 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
• 2024 Olympic road race gold medalist
• 2024 Olympic individual time trial gold medalist
• First male cyclist to win both Olympic road cycling events at the same Games
• Two-time Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner: 2022, 2023
• Multiple Clásica de San Sebastián victories
• Tour de France stage winner and overall podium finisher

9. Peter Sagan

Born: January 26, 1990, in Žilina, Slovakia

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: UCI Road World Championships, Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Gent-Wevelgem, UCI Mountain Bike World Championships

Brief History:
Peter Sagan is a retired Slovak professional cyclist known for his sprinting power, bike-handling skills, and ability to win across varied terrain. He became one of the most recognizable professional cyclists of the 2010s, with major victories in world championships, Grand Tours, and one-day Classics.

Sagan made history by winning three consecutive UCI Road World Championships from 2015 through 2017, becoming the first elite male cyclist to do so. At the Tour de France, he won 12 stages and a record seven green jerseys as the points classification winner.

His career also included victories in two of cycling's Monuments, the 2016 Tour of Flanders and 2018 Paris-Roubaix, along with three Gent-Wevelgem wins and stages in all three Grand Tours.

Sagan ended his WorldTour road career in 2023 before briefly returning to road and mountain bike competition in 2024. His final professional road race was the Tour of Slovakia in June 2024, followed by his final UCI race at the Slovak mountain bike championships that July.

Accomplishments:

• Three consecutive UCI Road World Championships: 2015, 2016, 2017
• Record seven Tour de France points classification victories
• 12 Tour de France stage victories
• 2016 Tour of Flanders winner
• 2018 Paris-Roubaix winner
• Three-time Gent-Wevelgem winner
• Two Giro d’Italia stage victories
• Four Vuelta a España stage victories
• 2021 Giro d’Italia points classification winner
• Seven-time Slovak national road race champion
• 121 professional road victories

10. Marianne Vos

Born: May 13, 1987, in ’s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: UCI Road World Championships, Olympic Games, Giro d’Italia Women, Tour de France Femmes, UCI Cyclocross World Championships, UCI Track World Championships, UCI Gravel World Championships, La Flèche Wallonne Féminine

Brief History:
Marianne Vos is a Dutch professional cyclist whose success across road racing, cyclocross, track, and gravel has made her one of the most accomplished cyclists in the sport's history. She began racing as a child and won elite world championships in both cyclocross and road racing in 2006, while still a teenager.

Vos has won three UCI Road World Championships, eight UCI Cyclocross World Championships, and two UCI Track World Championships. In 2024, she added the UCI Gravel World Championship, bringing her total to 14 elite world titles across four cycling disciplines.

Her Olympic career spans more than a decade and a half. Vos won gold in the points race on the track at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and gold in the road race at the 2012 London Olympics. Sixteen years after her first Olympic gold medal, she earned silver in the road race at the 2024 Paris Games.

On the road, Vos has won the Giro d’Italia Women three times, along with stages and major one-day races throughout her career. She has remained competitive well into the 2020s, including a second-place finish at Paris-Roubaix Femmes in 2026.

Accomplishments:

• Three-time UCI Road World Champion: 2006, 2012, 2013
• Eight-time UCI Cyclocross World Champion: 2006, 2009–2014, 2022
• Two-time UCI Track World Champion: 2008, 2011
• 2024 UCI Gravel World Champion
• 14 elite UCI World Championship titles across four disciplines
• 2012 Olympic road race gold medalist
• 2008 Olympic points race gold medalist
• 2024 Olympic road race silver medalist
• Three-time Giro d’Italia Women overall winner: 2011, 2012, 2014
• Multiple Tour de France Femmes stage victories
• Multiple La Flèche Wallonne Féminine victories

11. Greg LeMond

Born: June 26, 1961, in Lakewood, California

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, UCI Road World Championships, Giro d’Italia

Brief History:
Greg LeMond is a retired American professional cyclist who became the first American to win the Tour de France and helped bring European professional road racing to a much larger U.S. audience.

LeMond won his first UCI Road World Championship in 1983 before making history at the 1986 Tour de France, where he became the first American to win the race. His career nearly ended the following year when he was accidentally shot in a hunting accident. After missing the 1987 and 1988 Tours, he returned in 1989 and produced one of cycling's most famous comebacks.

LeMond entered the final individual time trial of the 1989 Tour de France 50 seconds behind Laurent Fignon. He overcame the deficit on the final stage in Paris to win the Tour by just eight seconds, which remains the smallest winning margin in Tour de France history.

Only weeks later, LeMond won his second UCI Road World Championship. He returned to the Tour in 1990 and won again, giving him three Tour de France victories in five years.

LeMond retired from professional cycling in 1994. His victories in 1986, 1989, and 1990 remain the only officially recognized Tour de France overall victories by an American cyclist.

Accomplishments:

• Three-time Tour de France winner: 1986, 1989, 1990
• First American to win the Tour de France
• Two-time UCI Road World Champion: 1983, 1989
• Won the 1989 Tour de France by eight seconds, the smallest winning margin in race history
• Five Tour de France stage victories
• Tour de France runner-up in 1985
• Third overall at the 1984 Tour de France
• UCI Road World Championship silver medalist in 1982
• Inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1996

12. Bernard Hinault

Born: November 14, 1954, in Yffiniac, France

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, UCI Road World Championships, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Giro di Lombardia

Brief History:
Bernard Hinault is a retired French professional cyclist and one of the most successful Grand Tour riders in cycling history. Nicknamed “The Badger,” Hinault was known for aggressive racing and his ability to win Grand Tours, mountain stages, time trials, and one-day Classics.

Hinault won his first Tour de France in 1978 and ultimately claimed five Tour titles in eight years: 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1985. His fifth victory remains historically significant because Hinault is still the most recent French cyclist to win the Tour de France.

His success extended well beyond the Tour. Hinault won the Giro d’Italia three times and the Vuelta a España twice, giving him 10 Grand Tour overall victories. He also became UCI Road World Champion in 1980.

Hinault was equally successful in one-day racing. His victory at the notoriously cold and snowy 1980 Liège-Bastogne-Liège became one of his career's defining performances. The following year, he won Paris-Roubaix despite his well-known dislike of the race and its cobblestones.

Hinault's career also became intertwined with Greg LeMond's. LeMond finished second to Hinault at the 1985 Tour de France. The teammates returned in 1986 with LeMond pursuing his first Tour victory. Their complicated rivalry produced one of the Tour's most famous moments when they rode together to the finish at Alpe d'Huez. LeMond ultimately won the 1986 Tour, with Hinault finishing second in his final Tour de France appearance.

Accomplishments:

• Five-time Tour de France winner: 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985
• Three-time Giro d’Italia winner: 1980, 1982, 1985
• Two-time Vuelta a España winner: 1978, 1983
• 10 Grand Tour overall victories
• 1980 UCI Road World Champion
• 28 Tour de France stage victories
• Two-time Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner: 1977, 1980
• 1981 Paris-Roubaix winner
• Two-time Giro di Lombardia winner: 1979, 1984
• Most recent French cyclist to win the Tour de France, in 1985

13. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot

Born: February 10, 1992, in Reims, France

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France Femmes, Paris-Roubaix Femmes, Olympic Games, UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, UCI Road World Championships, UCI Cyclocross World Championships, UCI Gravel World Championships

Brief History:
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is a French professional cyclist whose career spans road racing, mountain biking, cyclocross, and gravel. She has won world championships across multiple disciplines, making her one of the most versatile cyclists of her generation.

In 2015, Ferrand-Prévot simultaneously held elite world titles in road racing, cyclocross, and cross-country mountain biking. She later added world championships in mountain bike marathon, short track, and gravel.

At the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Ferrand-Prévot won gold in the women's cross-country mountain bike race in front of a home crowd, achieving one of the major goals of her career.

After the Paris Olympics, she shifted her focus back to road racing and joined Visma-Lease a Bike for 2025. The return produced immediate results. In April 2025, she became the first French woman to win Paris-Roubaix Femmes, attacking approximately 25 kilometers from the finish and riding solo to victory.

She followed that performance by winning the 2025 Tour de France Femmes. Her attempt to defend the title in 2026 ended when illness forced her to withdraw before Stage 8. Her team subsequently ended her 2026 season so she could rest and recover, and she did not compete at the UCI Road World Championships in Montréal.

Accomplishments:

• 2025 Tour de France Femmes winner
• 2025 Paris-Roubaix Femmes winner
• 2024 Olympic cross-country mountain bike gold medalist
• 2014 UCI Road World Champion
• 2015 UCI Cyclocross World Champion
• Five-time UCI Cross-Country Mountain Bike World Champion
• Two-time UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Champion
• Two-time UCI Short Track World Champion
• 2022 UCI Gravel World Champion
• 2014 La Flèche Wallonne Féminine winner
• Multiple French national championships across road, cyclocross, and mountain biking

14. Fausto Coppi

Born: September 15, 1919, in Castellania, Italy

Died: January 2, 1960, in Tortona, Italy

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable maximum cycling speed is available. Coppi did, however, set a world Hour Record in 1942, covering 45.798 kilometers (28.46 miles) in one hour.

Notable Races/Events: Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, UCI Road World Championships, Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, Giro di Lombardia

Brief History:
Fausto Coppi was an Italian professional cyclist and one of the defining figures of cycling's postwar era. Known as “Il Campionissimo” (“Champion of Champions”), Coppi excelled as both a climber and time trialist and won Grand Tours, Monuments, a world championship, and the Hour Record.

He won his first Giro d’Italia in 1940 at just 20 years old and eventually won the race five times. World War II interrupted his career, but Coppi returned to become one of the dominant riders of the postwar era.

In 1949, Coppi won both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, becoming the first cyclist to win both Grand Tours in the same year. He repeated the Giro-Tour double in 1952 and won the Tour twice overall.

His 1952 Tour included another piece of cycling history. Coppi won the Tour's first-ever summit finish at Alpe d'Huez, took the yellow jersey that day, and went on to win the race.

Coppi was also one of the leading Classics riders of his era. He won Milan-San Remo three times, Paris-Roubaix once, and the Giro di Lombardia a record five times, a record that still stands.

His career was closely associated with fellow Italian champion Gino Bartali. Their rivalry divided Italian cycling fans and became part of Italy's postwar sporting culture. Despite being fierce competitors, the two also raced together for the Italian national team.

Coppi added the UCI Road World Championship in 1953, completing a career that included victories across nearly every major form of road racing.

Accomplishments:

• Five-time Giro d’Italia winner: 1940, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953
• Two-time Tour de France winner: 1949, 1952
• First cyclist to win the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same year: 1949
• Repeated the Giro-Tour double in 1952
• 1953 UCI Road World Champion
• Five-time Giro di Lombardia winner, a record that still stands
• Three-time Milan-San Remo winner
• 1950 Paris-Roubaix winner
• Won the first Tour de France summit finish at Alpe d'Huez in 1952
• Set the world Hour Record in 1942 at 45.798 km

15. Miguel Induráin

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available. Induráin did set an Hour Record in 1994, covering 53.040 kilometers (32.96 miles) in one hour.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Olympic Games, UCI Road World Championships, Critérium du Dauphiné

Brief History:
Miguel Induráin is a retired Spanish professional cyclist who dominated Grand Tour racing during the first half of the 1990s. At 6-foot-2 and roughly 175 pounds during his racing career, Induráin was unusually large for a Tour de France champion. His combination of time-trial ability, climbing strength, and consistent performances made him particularly successful in three-week stage races.

Induráin won his first Tour de France in 1991, ending Greg LeMond's attempt to win a fourth Tour. He then won every Tour through 1995, becoming the first and still only cyclist to win five consecutive Tours de France.

His strength against the clock was particularly evident during the 1992 Tour de France time trial to Luxembourg, where Induráin won the 65-kilometer stage by three minutes over his nearest rival.

Induráin also became the first cyclist to win the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same season in consecutive years, completing the double in both 1992 and 1993.

His accomplishments extended beyond Grand Tours. In 1994, Induráin set the Hour Record at 53.040 kilometers. He became UCI individual time trial world champion in 1995 and won the Olympic individual time trial gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Induráin attempted an unprecedented sixth consecutive Tour victory in 1996, but his winning streak ended when Bjarne Riis took the overall title. Induráin retired from professional cycling at the end of that season.

Accomplishments:

• Five-time Tour de France winner: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
• Only cyclist to win five consecutive Tours de France
• Two-time Giro d’Italia winner: 1992, 1993
• Giro-Tour double in both 1992 and 1993
• 1995 UCI individual time trial world champion
• 1996 Olympic individual time trial gold medalist
• Set the Hour Record in 1994 at 53.040 km
• 12 Tour de France stage victories
• Two-time Critérium du Dauphiné winner: 1995, 1996

16. Alberto Contador

Born: December 6, 1982, in Madrid, Spain

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Paris-Nice, Tour of the Basque Country

Brief History:
Alberto Contador is a retired Spanish professional cyclist and one of the most successful Grand Tour riders of his generation. Nicknamed “El Pistolero” for his trademark victory celebration, Contador was known for explosive climbing attacks and an aggressive racing style.

Contador won his first Tour de France in 2007 at age 24, finishing just 23 seconds ahead of Cadel Evans. He returned to win the Tour again in 2009, defeating Andy Schleck by more than four minutes while racing for an Astana team that also included returning Tour champion Lance Armstrong.

In 2008, when Astana was not invited to the Tour, Contador won both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España. By age 25, he had won all three Grand Tours.

Contador ultimately accumulated seven officially recognized Grand Tour victories: two Tours de France, two Giros d’Italia, and three Vueltas a España.

His career record also requires an important qualification. Contador initially finished first at the 2010 Tour de France and 2011 Giro d’Italia, but both results were later annulled following a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling related to his positive test for clenbuterol at the 2010 Tour. His official Tour de France victories therefore remain in 2007 and 2009.

After serving his suspension, Contador returned to win the 2012 Vuelta a España, followed by another Vuelta victory in 2014 and his second official Giro d’Italia title in 2015.

Contador retired at the end of the 2017 Vuelta a España. In the final mountain stage of his career, he attacked and won atop the Alto de l'Angliru, one of cycling's most difficult climbs. It was the final victory of his professional career.

Accomplishments:

• Two-time Tour de France winner: 2007, 2009
• Two-time Giro d’Italia winner: 2008, 2015
• Three-time Vuelta a España winner: 2008, 2012, 2014
• Seven officially recognized Grand Tour victories
• Won all three Grand Tours
• Won the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España in the same season in 2008
• Four-time Tour of the Basque Country winner
• Two-time Paris-Nice winner
• Won atop the Alto de l'Angliru during his final Grand Tour, the 2017 Vuelta a España
• Initially finished first at the 2010 Tour and 2011 Giro, but both results were subsequently annulled

17. Tom Pidcock

Born: July 30, 1999, in Leeds, England

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Olympic Games, UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, UCI Cyclocross World Championships, Tour de France, Vuelta a España, Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold Race, Milan-San Remo

Brief History:
Tom Pidcock is a British professional cyclist who competes across road racing, mountain biking, and cyclocross. His success across all three disciplines has made him one of the most versatile professional cyclists of his generation.

Pidcock first established himself internationally through cyclocross before expanding his success to mountain biking and road racing. At the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021, he won the men's cross-country mountain bike race at age 21, becoming Great Britain's first Olympic champion in the discipline.

He successfully defended his Olympic title at the 2024 Paris Games despite suffering a puncture that left him roughly 40 seconds behind French rider Victor Koretzky. Pidcock recovered and passed Koretzky on the final lap to win his second consecutive Olympic mountain bike gold medal.

On the road, Pidcock won Stage 12 atop Alpe d'Huez during his Tour de France debut in 2022. He followed that with victories at Strade Bianche in 2023 and Amstel Gold Race in 2024.

Pidcock left INEOS Grenadiers after the 2024 season and joined Q36.5. In 2025, he finished third overall at the Vuelta a España, earning his first Grand Tour podium.

His 2026 season added several major results. Pidcock finished second at Milan-San Remo and ninth overall at the Tour de France, his first Tour top-10 finish. In September, he returned to mountain biking and won the 2026 UCI Elite Cross-Country World Championship, earning a second elite XCO world title.

Pidcock finished seventh in the elite men’s road race at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, 14 seconds behind winner Brandon McNulty.

Accomplishments:

• Two-time Olympic cross-country mountain bike champion: Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024
• Two-time elite UCI cross-country mountain bike world champion: 2023, 2026
• 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Champion
• 2022 Tour de France stage winner at Alpe d'Huez
• 2023 Strade Bianche winner
• 2024 Amstel Gold Race winner
• Third overall at the 2025 Vuelta a España
• Ninth overall at the 2026 Tour de France
• Second at the 2026 Milan-San Remo
• Multiple European and World Cup mountain bike victories

18. Jacques Anquetil

Born: January 8, 1934, in Mont-Saint-Aignan, France

Died: November 18, 1987, in Rouen, France

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable maximum cycling speed is available. Anquetil did set the Hour Record in 1956, covering 46.159 kilometers (28.68 miles) in one hour.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Grand Prix des Nations, UCI Hour Record

Brief History:
Jacques Anquetil was a French professional cyclist and one of the leading Grand Tour riders of the 1950s and 1960s. Nicknamed “Monsieur Chrono” for his time-trial ability, Anquetil built many of his victories by gaining significant time against the clock and defending his advantage through the mountain stages.

Anquetil won his first Tour de France in 1957 at age 23. He later won four consecutive Tours from 1961 through 1964, becoming the first cyclist in history to win the Tour de France five times.

Anquetil was also the first cyclist to win all three Grand Tours during his career. He won the Giro d’Italia in 1960 and 1964 and the Vuelta a España in 1963, giving him eight Grand Tour victories overall.

In 1964, Anquetil won the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same year, becoming only the second cyclist after Fausto Coppi to complete the Giro-Tour double.

His rivalry with fellow French cyclist Raymond Poulidor became one of the defining rivalries of the era. Their battle at the 1964 Tour culminated on the Puy de Dôme, where the two climbed shoulder to shoulder as Poulidor attempted to take time from the yellow jersey. Anquetil retained enough of his advantage to win his fifth Tour.

Anquetil's success extended beyond Grand Tours. He won the Grand Prix des Nations nine times, along with Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Gent-Wevelgem, Bordeaux-Paris, and the Tour of the Basque Country. His final professional victory came at the 1969 Tour of the Basque Country.

Accomplishments:

• Five-time Tour de France winner: 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964
• First cyclist to win the Tour de France five times
• Two-time Giro d’Italia winner: 1960, 1964
• 1963 Vuelta a España winner
• First cyclist to win all three Grand Tours during his career
• Eight career Grand Tour victories
• Completed the Giro-Tour double in 1964
• Set the Hour Record in 1956 at 46.159 km
• Nine-time Grand Prix des Nations winner
• 1966 Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner
• 1964 Gent-Wevelgem winner
• 1965 Bordeaux-Paris winner

19. Annemiek van Vleuten

Born: October 8, 1982, in Vleuten, Netherlands

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia Women, La Vuelta Femenina, UCI Road World Championships, Olympic Games, Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Brief History:
Annemiek van Vleuten is a retired Dutch professional cyclist whose career included world championships, an Olympic title, major Classics victories, and success in women's stage racing. She became particularly known for long solo attacks, climbing, and time trialing.

One of the defining moments of her career came at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she suffered a severe crash while leading the road race. She returned to competition and won her first UCI individual time trial world championship in 2017, successfully defending the title in 2018.

In 2019, Van Vleuten produced one of the standout performances of her career. She attacked with approximately 105 kilometers remaining in the UCI Road World Championship in Yorkshire and rode alone to the finish to capture her first road race world title.

Her 2022 season included victories at the Giro d'Italia Donne, inaugural Tour de France Femmes, and Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta, sweeping the year's three major women's stage races. She then won the UCI Road World Championship despite racing with a fractured elbow suffered just days earlier.

At the Tour de France Femmes, illness affected Van Vleuten early in the race. She recovered to attack from more than 60 kilometers out on Stage 7, took the yellow jersey, and won the final stage atop La Super Planche des Belles Filles to secure the overall title.

Van Vleuten continued winning into her final season. In 2023, at age 40, she won both La Vuelta Femenina and the Giro d'Italia Donne, with the Giro victory becoming the fourth of her career. She retired from professional cycling at the end of the 2023 season.

Accomplishments:

• 2022 Tour de France Femmes winner
• Four-time Giro d’Italia Women winner: 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
• Three-time winner of the major Spanish women's stage race that became La Vuelta Femenina: 2021, 2022, 2023
• Two-time UCI Road World Champion: 2019, 2022
• Two-time UCI Individual Time Trial World Champion: 2017, 2018
• Olympic individual time trial gold medalist at Tokyo 2020
• Olympic road race silver medalist at Tokyo 2020
• Two-time Tour of Flanders winner: 2011, 2021
• Two-time Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner: 2019, 2022
• Swept the major women's stage races in Italy, France, and Spain in 2022
• Won her fourth Giro d’Italia Women at age 40 during her final professional season

20. Kristin Armstrong

Born: August 11, 1973, in Memphis, Tennessee

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Olympic Games, UCI Road World Championships, U.S. National Championships, Tour of California

Brief History:
Kristin Armstrong is a retired American professional cyclist and one of the most accomplished time trial specialists in cycling history. She is the only cyclist, male or female, to win the same individual road cycling event at three consecutive Olympic Games, taking gold in the individual time trial in 2008, 2012, and 2016.

Kristin Armstrong is not related to Lance Armstrong. She is sometimes confused with Lance Armstrong's former wife, Kristin Richard, because they share the same first and last names.

Armstrong did not begin her athletic career as a cyclist. She competed as a runner, swimmer, and triathlete, including the 1999 Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. After being diagnosed with osteoarthritis in her hips, she moved away from high-impact sports and focused on cycling.

She made her Olympic debut in Athens in 2004, finishing eighth in the road race. Armstrong then became one of the world's leading time trialists, winning the UCI individual time trial world championship in 2006 and 2009.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Armstrong won her first individual time trial gold medal. She retired after winning her second world title in 2009, gave birth to her son in 2010, and then returned to competition. Despite breaking her collarbone eight weeks before the 2012 London Olympics, she successfully defended her time trial title.

Armstrong retired again after London but returned to competition in 2015 with the goal of reaching another Olympics. At the 2016 Rio Games, she won an unprecedented third consecutive Olympic individual time trial gold medal at age 42.

Armstrong retired from competitive cycling after the Rio Olympics, ending a career that included three Olympic gold medals, two world championships, and multiple U.S. national titles.

Accomplishments:

• Three-time Olympic individual time trial gold medalist: 2008, 2012, 2016
• Only cyclist to win the same individual road cycling event at three consecutive Olympic Games
• Two-time UCI Individual Time Trial World Champion: 2006, 2009
• Won additional silver and bronze medals at the UCI Road World Championships
• Multiple U.S. national time trial championships
• Competed in four Olympic Games: 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
• Won her third Olympic gold medal at age 42

21. Egan Bernal

Born: January 13, 1997, in Bogotá, Colombia

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Paris-Nice, Tour de Suisse, Tour of California

Brief History:
Egan Bernal is a Colombian professional cyclist and Grand Tour champion whose career has included historic victories and a return to professional racing after a life-threatening training crash.

Bernal began in mountain biking before moving to professional road racing in 2016. He won the Tour of California in 2018, followed by Paris-Nice and the Tour de Suisse in 2019.

That same year, at age 22, Bernal won the 2019 Tour de France, becoming the first Colombian and first Latin American cyclist to win the race. He was also the Tour's youngest winner since 1909.

Bernal added a second Grand Tour victory at the 2021 Giro d'Italia. He took the pink jersey after winning Stage 9 at Campo Felice and later strengthened his lead with a victory on the shortened mountain stage over the Passo Giau. He finished the race as both the overall and young rider classification winner.

His career changed dramatically on January 24, 2022, when he collided with a stationary bus while training on a time trial bike in Colombia. Bernal suffered extensive injuries and underwent multiple surgeries before returning to professional racing later that year.

In 2025, Bernal won both the Colombian national road race and individual time trial championships, finished seventh overall at the Giro d'Italia, and won Stage 16 of the Vuelta a España, his first Grand Tour stage victory since the 2021 Giro.

In 2026, Bernal finished second overall at the Tour of the Alps, fifth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, tenth at the Giro d'Italia, and 20th at the Tour de France.

Accomplishments:

• 2019 Tour de France winner
• First Colombian and first Latin American cyclist to win the Tour de France
• Youngest Tour de France winner since 1909
• 2021 Giro d’Italia winner
• Two Giro d’Italia stage victories
• 2025 Vuelta a España stage winner
• 2019 Paris-Nice winner
• 2019 Tour de Suisse winner
• 2018 Tour of California winner
• 2017 Tour de l’Avenir winner
• 2025 Colombian national road race and individual time trial champion
• Returned to professional racing after his life-threatening 2022 training crash

22. Nairo Quintana

Born: February 4, 1990, in Cómbita, Boyacá, Colombia

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Tour de Romandie, Tirreno-Adriatico, Volta a Catalunya

Brief History:
Nairo Quintana is a Colombian professional cyclist and Grand Tour winner known for his climbing ability, particularly on long, high-altitude ascents. Nicknamed “Nairoman” and “El Cóndor de los Andes,” Quintana became one of Colombia's most successful Grand Tour riders.

Quintana's breakthrough came at the 2013 Tour de France, where he finished second overall behind Chris Froome and won both the young rider and mountains classifications.

The following year, Quintana won the 2014 Giro d’Italia, becoming the first Colombian cyclist to win the race. He won two stages and finished nearly three minutes ahead of fellow Colombian Rigoberto Urán.

Quintana returned to the Tour de France podium in 2015, again finishing second to Froome. In 2016, he captured his second Grand Tour victory at the Vuelta a España, defeating Froome in the overall classification.

His career also includes major stage-race victories at Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour de Romandie, Volta a Catalunya, and the Tour of the Basque Country.

Quintana returned to Movistar in 2024 after spending the 2023 season away from professional racing. In March 2026, he announced that 2026 would be his final season as a professional cyclist. He added another stage-race victory in April by winning the Vuelta a Asturias.

Quintana originally finished sixth at the 2022 Tour de France, but the UCI later disqualified him after two dried blood samples revealed tramadol use. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the disqualification. At the time, the UCI prohibited tramadol under its medical regulations for health and safety reasons.

Quintana returned to Movistar in 2024 after spending the 2023 season away from professional racing. In March 2026, he announced that 2026 would be his final season as a professional cyclist. He added another stage-race victory in April by winning the Vuelta Asturias. 

Quintana represented Colombia for the final time at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, where he did not finish the elite men’s road race. He is scheduled to make his final professional start on October 3 at the Giro dell’Emilia in Italy, a race he won in 2012.

Accomplishments:

• 2014 Giro d’Italia winner
• First Colombian cyclist to win the Giro d’Italia
• 2016 Vuelta a España winner
• Second overall at the Tour de France in 2013 and 2015
• Third overall at the 2016 Tour de France
• Tour de France mountains and young rider classification winner in 2013
• Two-time Tirreno-Adriatico winner
• 2016 Tour de Romandie winner
• 2016 Volta a Catalunya winner
• 2013 Tour of the Basque Country winner
• 2026 Vuelta Asturias overall winner

23. Sean Kelly

Born: May 24, 1956, in County Waterford, Ireland

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable, independently documented maximum cycling speed is available.

Notable Races/Events: Vuelta a España, Tour de France, Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Il Lombardia

Brief History:
Sean Kelly is a retired Irish professional cyclist who was a leading rider of the 1980s. Originally known for his sprinting ability, Kelly developed into a versatile cyclist who could win bunch sprints, cobbled Classics, hilly one-day races, week-long stage races, and a Grand Tour. His career included 193 professional victories and nine Monument wins.

Kelly was particularly successful at Paris-Nice, winning the overall classification seven consecutive times from 1982 through 1988, a record that still stands. He also won the Tour of the Basque Country three times, the Volta a Catalunya twice, and the Tour de Suisse twice.

His biggest Grand Tour victory came at the 1988 Vuelta a España, where he won the overall classification. Kelly also won 16 stages of the Vuelta during his career.

Kelly never won the Tour de France overall, but he won five Tour stages and four green jerseys as winner of the points classification in 1982, 1983, 1985, and 1989.

Kelly won nine of cycling's Monuments, including Paris-Roubaix twice, Milan-San Remo twice, Liège-Bastogne-Liège twice, and Il Lombardia three times. The Tour of Flanders was the only Monument he never won, despite finishing second three times.

One of his most notable late-career victories came at the 1992 Milan-San Remo. Kelly chased down Moreno Argentin on the descent of the Poggio and then beat him in the sprint to claim his second victory in the race.

Kelly retired from professional cycling in 1994 after nearly two decades in the European peloton. He has remained involved in professional cycling as a television race analyst and commentator.

Accomplishments:

• 1988 Vuelta a España winner
• 193 professional victories
• Nine Monument victories
• Seven consecutive Paris-Nice victories: 1982–1988
• Three-time Il Lombardia winner: 1983, 1985, 1991
• Two-time Paris-Roubaix winner: 1984, 1986
• Two-time Milan-San Remo winner: 1986, 1992
• Two-time Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner: 1984, 1989
• Four-time Tour de France points classification winner
• Five Tour de France stage victories
• 16 Vuelta a España stage victories
• Three-time Tour of the Basque Country winner
• Two-time Volta a Catalunya winner
• Two-time Tour de Suisse winner
• Winner of the inaugural UCI Road World Cup in 1989

24. Beryl Burton

Born: May 12, 1937, in Leeds, England

Died: May 5, 1996, in Yorkshire, England

Top Cycling Speed: No reliable maximum cycling speed is available. However, Burton's endurance record provides a much more meaningful measure of her speed: in 1967, she rode 277.25 miles in 12 hours, averaging about 23.1 mph (37.2 km/h).

Notable Races/Events: UCI Road World Championships, UCI Track World Championships, British National Championships, British time trials

Brief History:
Beryl Burton was a British road and track cyclist who accumulated seven world championships and 122 senior British national titles during a career spanning several decades. She competed during an era when women's cycling had far fewer competitive opportunities than men's cycling.

Burton began cycling after meeting her future husband, Charlie Burton, and progressed from club riding to national and international competition. In 1959, she became the first British woman to win a cycling world championship, taking the individual pursuit title on the track.

The following year, she won both the 1960 UCI road race and individual pursuit world championships. She eventually won five individual pursuit world titles, in 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, and 1966, along with road race world championships in 1960 and 1967.

One of Burton's defining performances came during a 12-hour time trial in 1967, when she covered 277.25 miles. Her distance exceeded the existing men's record by 0.73 miles. The men's record was surpassed in 1969, while Burton's women's record stood for 50 years.

The ride also produced one of cycling's best-known stories. Burton caught and passed men's champion Mike McNamara during the event and reportedly offered him a liquorice allsort as she went by.

Burton won 13 British national road race championships between 1959 and 1974 and continued competing long after many of her contemporaries had retired.

Burton died in 1996 at age 58. Her seven world championships, 122 senior British national titles, longevity, and 1967 endurance record established her as one of the leading figures in British cycling history.

Accomplishments:

• Seven-time UCI World Champion
• Two-time UCI Road Race World Champion: 1960, 1967
• Five-time UCI Individual Pursuit World Champion: 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1966
• First British woman to win a cycling world championship
• 122 senior British national titles
• 13-time British national road race champion
• Set more than 50 world and national records
• Rode 277.25 miles in 12 hours in 1967
• Her 1967 12-hour distance exceeded the men's record at the time
• Her women's 12-hour record stood for 50 years
• Appointed MBE and later OBE for her contributions to cycling

Cycling History Is Still Being Written

The cyclists on this list span generations, countries, and disciplines, but they share something that keeps us watching: the ability to change what we think is possible on a bicycle. Some set records that lasted for decades. Others changed how races are won. And several riders on this list are still racing, which means cycling history is still being written.



I had the opportunity to experience that firsthand at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, where Brandon McNulty became the first American man to win the road world title in 33 years, and Remco Evenepoel won his fourth consecutive time trial world championship.

Seeing the crowds lining the streets of Montréal and the world’s best cyclists racing in North America was an experience I won’t forget. Hopefully, Montréal 2026 helps bring more major international cycling events back to North America.

Why Bike Legal Writes About Cycling

At Bike Legal, we are cyclists too. We love the sport, its history, and the races. Many members of our legal team have raced at the amateur level. Articles like this give us an opportunity to learn more about the cyclists who shaped the sport and share that history with the cycling community.

That connection to cycling is also central to the work we do. Bike Legal represents cyclists whose lives, health, work, and training have been interrupted because of a crash caused by someone else's negligence. We understand that recovering from a bicycle crash is about more than repairing a bike or resolving an insurance claim. For many cyclists, riding is an important part of who they are.

Our goal is to help injured cyclists recover physically and financially so they can return to their lives and, when they are ready, get back to doing what they love.

If you have been injured in a bicycle or e-bike crash involving a negligent driver or unsafe road conditions,

Bike Legal offers free consultations with no obligation.

Call 877-BIKE-LEGAL (877-245-3534).

Frequently Asked Questions About Famous Cyclists