- Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong Facing testicular cancer and not yet knowing his own fate, in 1997 champion cyclist Lance Armstrong established the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a non-profit organization that inspires and empowers people affected by cancer. This marked the beginning of Lance's role as an advocate for cancer survivors and a world representative for the cancer community.
- Floyd Landis
Floyd Landis (born October 14 1975) is an American cyclist. He is a time-trial specialist as well as a strong climber. Landis turned professional in 1999 with the Mercury Cycling Team. He joined the US Postal Service team in 2002, and moved to the Phonak Hearing Systems team in 2005. Landis was fired from the Phonak team on August 5, 2006, after testing revealed an abnormally high testosterone/epitestosterone ratio.
- Stuart O'Grady
Stuart O'Grady OAM (born on 6 August, 1973), nicknamed "Stuey", is an Australian professional road bicycle racer, who started his career as a track cyclist. His most prominent victories came when he and Graeme Brown won a gold medal in Men's Madison at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and when he won Paris-Roubaix in 2007. O'Grady has participated in the Tour de France since 1998, …
- Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich (born December 2, 1973 in Rostock, Germany) is a German professional road bicycle racer. In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. He went on to achieve five second place finishes, along with a fourth place (2004) and a third place finish (2005). In 2006, Ullrich was barred from competing in the Tour de France amid speculation of having doped. In late February, 2007, he announced his retirement at a press conference.
- Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx (born June 17 1945, Meensel-Kiezegem, Vlaams Brabant, Belgium) is a former Belgian professional cyclist. Merckx, regarded as the greatest and most successful cyclist of all time, established several world cycling records, some of which remain unbroken to this day.
- Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson (30 November 1937 - 13 July 1967) was an English road racing cyclist who died of exhaustion on the slopes of Mont Ventoux during the 13th stage of the Tour de France in 1967. The post mortem found that he had taken amphetamines and alcohol, a diuretic combination which proved fatal when combined with the hot conditions, the notoriously hard climb of the Ventoux and a pre-existing stomach complaint.
- Richard Virenque
Richard Virenque (born November 191969 in Casablanca, Morocco) is a retired French professional bicyclist. Height : 1m79. Weight 65kg. He is known as a climbing specialist and for his role in a highly-publicized doping scandal. From 1994 to 1998, he was in team Festina. His top placing in the general classification of the Tour de France and his multiple wins of the Polka dot jersey placed him at the top of the French hopefuls as a potential winner of the Tour de France.
- Bjarne Riis
Bjarne Lykkegård Riis, nicknamed "the Eagle from Herning", is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer who won the 1996 Tour de France, and is now the team owner and manager of Danish UCI ProTour outfit Team CSC. Other career highlights include winning the Amstel Gold Race in 1997, multiple Danish National Championships, and stage wins in the Giro d'Italia. On May 25 2007 he admitted that he won the Tour de France using banned substances, …
- Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault (born 14 November, 1954 in Yffiniac, Bretagne) is a French cyclist best known for his five victories in the Tour de France. He is also one of only four cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and the only cyclist to have won each Grand Tour more than once. His first place Tour de France achievements were in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985. In addition, he placed second in 1984 and 1986 and won 28 stages, of which 13 were individual time trials.
- Erik Zabel
Erik Zabel is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour Team Milram. With 193 career wins he is considered to be one of the greatest German cyclists and best sprinters of cycling history. Zabel has won a record nine points classification titles at Grand Tours including wearing the final green jersey in the Tour de France a record six consecutive years between 1996 through 2001 and the points jersey at the Vuelta a España in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
- George Hincapie
George Hincapie is an American professional road bicycle racer residing in Greenville, South Carolina. He is often seen as a key domestique of the seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. However, Hincapie does have several important wins of his own, including Gent-Wevelgem in 2001 and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in 2005. Also in 2005, Hincapie took two stage wins at Dauphiné Libéré and 2nd place at Paris-Roubaix.
- Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen (born on October 15, 1980 in Mol, Belgium) is a professional road bicycle racer and is the 2005 World Road Race Champion. He is considered a single-day road race specialist with a strong finishing sprint. His personality and looks, combined with his successes, also turned him into Belgium's main male sports idol of the mid-2000s.
- Rik van Looy
Henrik ("Rik") van Looy is a Belgian former professional cyclist of the post-war period, nicknamed the "King of the Classics" or "Emperor of Herentals" (after the small Belgian town where he lived). He was twice world professional road race champion, and was the first cyclist to win all five of the 'Monument' Classic cycle races – a feat since achieved by just two others (both also Belgians: Roger De Vlaeminck and Eddy Merckx).
- Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a professional road bicycle racer, presently rider for the Crédit Agricole Professional team. Hushovd is renowned for his Sprinting and Time Trialing prowess. He is a former Norwegian National Time Trial Champion and was the first Norwegian to wear the coveted yellow jersey. Before turning a professional in 1998, Hushovd won the U23 Time-Trial World Championship and the U23-versions of the two bicycle classics Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Tours.
- Greg Lemond
Gregory James "Greg" LeMond (born June 26, 1961 in Lakewood, California) is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States and a three time winner of the Tour de France. In 1986, LeMond became the first American cyclist to win the race. In 1987, he was shot and seriously injured in a hunting accident, taking two years to recover before returning to win the Tour again in 1989 and 1990, …
- Robbie McEwen
Robbie McEwen is an Australian professional road bicycle racer, specializing in fast sprint finishes. He is considered one of the fastest sprinters in the world. A former junior Australian BMX champion, McEwen switched to road racing in 1990 at the age of 18. He was first selected for the Australian National Road Team in 1994. McEwen lives in Brakel, Belgium with his wife Angélique Pattyn and his son Ewan, and speaks Flemish fluently.
- Miguel Indurain
Miguel Ángel Indurain Larraya is a retired Spanish road racing cyclist. He is best known for having won the Tour de France from 1991 to 1995, becoming one of the five persons to win the event five times, and the first to win five in a row. Indurain's ability and physical size-1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) and 80 kg (176 lbs)-earned him the nickname "Miguelón".
- Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil (January 8, 1934 - November 18, 1987), was a French cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964. He stated before the 1961 Tour de France that he would gain the yellow jersey on day one and wear it all through the tour, a tall order with 2 previous winners in the field - Gaul and Bahamontes - but he did just that.
- Christophe Moreau
Christophe Moreau is a French cyclist. Debuted as a professional in 1995 with the Festina team, which he continued with until the end of 2000. Beginning in 2001 Moreau rode for the French team Crédit Agricole until July 22, 2005, when he announced that he would be leaving for the AG2R Prévoyance team. A perennial French hope for a high placement in the Tour de France, Moreau had some excellent results early in his career.
- Óscar Pereiro
Óscar Pereiro Sio (born August 3, 1977 in Mos, Galicia) is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He is best known for finishing second (as it currently stands) in the 2006 Tour de France. It is possible that 2006 Tour winner Floyd Landis could eventually be disqualified and Pereiro will be promoted to the winner's position (see below). Pereiro currently rides for the Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears cycling team.
- Marco Pantani
Marco Pantani (January 13, 1970 - February 14, 2004) was an Italian cyclist widely regarded as being one of the best climbers of all times in professional road bicycle racing. The high point of his career was to win the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia in 1998. The bandana he often wore and his attacking style of riding led to him being dubbed 'Il Pirata' (the pirate) by the adoring Italian "tifosi" - his fans. However, his career was dogged by drug allegations, …
- Michael Rasmussen
Michael Rasmussen is a Danish professional road bicycle racer who rides for Dutch team Rabobank. Specializing in climbing, Rasmussen has shown a propensity for attempting spectacular stage wins in mountain stages in which he breaks away from the peloton early and rides alone for most of the stage. Michael Rasmussen is known for his care for detail when considering weight and he is known to constantly pester his mechanics to make his bike lighter.
- Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler is a professional road bicycle racer since 2001. He rides for Bouygues Télécom (formerly known as "Brioches la Boulangère" and "Bonjour"). He comes from the Alsace region (later moved to Martinique), where he was nicknamed "petit blanc" due to his small stature and pale complexion. He is considered by many to be France's sweetheart ("le chouchou") because of his young looks and his habit to stick out his tongue, …
- Laurent Jalabert
Laurent Jalabert is a French former professional cyclist, from 1989 to 2002. Affectionately known as "Jaja" (the word is slang for a glass of wine; when he continued drinking wine as a professional, the nickname stuck because of the similarity to his name), he rode to victory in many one-day and stage races and was ranked number 1 in the 1990s. Although he never won the Tour de France, where he said he suffered too much from altitude sickness, …
- Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara (born March 18, 1981) is a Swiss Italian professional road bicycle racer. A time trial specialist, he is the current World Time Trial Champion. In 2006 he also became the only second Swiss winner of the Classic one-day race Paris-Roubaix, following Heiri Suter in 1923.
- Chris Boardman
Chris Boardman (born August 26 1968 in Hoylake) is a former English racing cyclist who won an individual pursuit gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics and broke the world hour record three times. He is also known as a specialist in the individual time trial. Chris Boardman's nickname is "the Professor", for his meticulous attention to detail in preparation and training, and his technical know-how.
- Freddy Maertens
Freddy Maertens was a Belgian professional racing cyclist and twice World Road Cycling Champion. In Italy in 1976, he won in front of Italians Francesco Moser and Tino Conti. In Prague in 1981, he beat Italian Giuseppe Saronni and France's Bernard Hinault. He was also second in the 1973 World Championship race. Maertens also won the 1977 Vuelta a España (taking more than half the stages: 13 in total), …
- Jens Voigt
Jens Voigt (born September 17, 1971) is a German professional road bicycle racer. Voigt is known as an affable cyclist with a propensity to attack whenever he can, and for his positive racing attitude. He is a rider capable of repeated attacking, holding a high tempo over longer distances, as well as good climbing skills in hilly terrain. He has worn the leader's jersey (the "maillot jaune") of the Tour de France twice, …
- Bradley McGee
Bradley ("Brad") McGee is a professional cyclist from Australia, who started cycling in 1986 at ten years of age. He is a member of Professional cycling Team, Française des Jeux, and also of the Parramatta Cycling Club. He lives in Sydney and in Nice, France. His greatest success as a road cyclist has been 1st in the 2003 Prologue of the Tour de France, and holding the race leaders yellow jersey (Maillot jaune) for three days in 2003.
- Seán Kelly
Seán Kelly is a former professional road bicycle racer. Kelly was one of the most successful road cyclists of the 1980s, and one of the finest Classics riders of all time. His victories include a Grand Tour win, nine Monument victories and a record seven successive wins in the Paris-Nice stage race.
- David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie (born January 12, 1979 in Salt Lake City) is a professional road bicycle racer from the United States who rides for Team CSC. His main strength is individual time trials and his career highlights include stage wins in all three Grand Tour stage races, as well as the US National Time Trial Championship.
- Johan Museeuw
Johan Museeuw is a retired Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He was a pro from 1988 to 2004 and dominated world cycling in the nineties. Johan Museeuw is the winner of 11 World Cup races, including six victories in "Monument" events: *Ronde van Vlaanderen 1993, 1995, 1998 *Paris-Roubaix 1996, 2000, 2002 *Züri-Metzgete 1991, 1995 *Paris-Tours 1993 *HEW Cyclassics 2002 *Amstel Gold Race 1994 He won the World Cup in 1995 & 1996.
- Charly Gaul
Charly Gaul was a road professional cyclist from Luxembourg. He was an accomplished time trialist, however, he was renowned as a climbing specialist. His climbing ability earned him the nickname of "The Angel of the Mountains" in the 1958 Tour de France which he won overall and took four stage victories. He was also successful in the Giro d'Italia, winning in 1956 and 1959, and claiming several further high places.
- Antonin Magne
Antonin Magne (15 February 1904 in Ytrac - 8 September 1983 in Arcachon) was a French cyclist who won the Tour de France twice, in 1931 and 1934. He won a total of 9 stages at the Tour de France (where he was second in the general classment of 1936 and third in 1930), and was also World Champion in 1936. He won the Grand Prix des Nations, the unofficial world championship of the individual time trial, three consecutive years (1934, 1935, 1936).
- Gerrie Knetemann
Gerrie Knetemann (March 6, 1951 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland - November 2, 2004 in Bergen, Noord-Holland) was a Dutch road bicycle racer who won the 1978 World Championship. A four-time winner of the Ronde van Nederland, he rode 11 editions of the Tour de France between 1974 and 1987, winning a total of 10 stages. It is a Dutch record equalled only by his team-mates Jan Raas and Joop Zoetemelk. Knetemann won 127 races as a professional.
- Mario Cipollini
Mario Cipollini (born March 22, 1967 in Lucca, Tuscany) is a retired Italian professional road cyclist most noted for his sprinting ability, the longevity of his dominance (his first pro win came in 1989, his last in 2005; 191 victories in all) and his colourful personality. His nickname is "Il Re Leone" or "The Lion King".
- David Millar
David Millar is a Scottish road racing cyclist, currently racing for UCI ProTeam Saunier Duval-Prodir as a time-trial specialist. He has won three Tour de France stages, two Vuelta a España stages, other accolades and has held the King of the Mountains jersey during the current 2007 Tour de France. He has also raced and won gold for Malta, his country of birth, in the 2001 Games of the Small States of Europe, held in San Marino.
- Johan Bruyneel
Johan Bruyneel (born August 23 1964, Izegem, Belgium) is a directeur sportif and former road bicycle racer in professional cycling. Retiring from racing in 1998, he is now best known as the director of Team Discovery (formerly U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team), a US-based UCI ProTour cycling team. Bruyneel is known to speak five languages to communicate with the cyclists of diverse nationalities on the team.
- Bo Hamburger
Bo Hamburger (born May 24 1970 in Frederiksberg) is a Danish professional road racing cyclist. He currently races for Miche. He was fired from Team CSC in 2001, after a positive EPO test. He was later cleared legally since the B test was below the limit, but still higher than normal. Since then, the Danish Cycle Union has refused to let Bo Hamburger represent Denmark. Hamburger has through legal means fought that exclusion.
- Fausto Coppi
Angelo Fausto Coppi was an Italian racing cyclist. Nicknamed "Il Campionissimo" ("the greatest champion") or "The Champion of the Champions", he was one of the most successful and most popular cyclists of all time. He twice won the Tour de France (1949 and 1952), and five times the Giro d'Italia (1940, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953).