- Stephen Roche
Stephen Roche was born November 28 1959 in Dundrum near Dublin, Ireland and is a retired professional cyclist. In a 13-year professional career, he peaked in 1987, becoming only the second cyclist in history to win the Triple Crown of overall victories in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia stage races, plus victory in the World Cycling Championship.
- Felice Gimondi
Felice Gimondi is an Italian former professional cyclist. With his 1968 victory at the Vuelta a España, only three years after becoming a professional cyclist, Gimondi, nicknamed "The Phoenix", was the second cyclist (after Jacques Anquetil) to win all three "Grand Tours" of road cycling: Tour de France (1965, his first year as a pro), Giro d'Italia (1967, 1969 and 1976), and Vuelta a España (1968). He remains one of only four cyclists to have done so.
- 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.
- Louison Bobet
Louis ("Louison") Bobet was a French professional road cyclist. He was one of just eight riders to win the Tour de France at least three times, and also the first ever to win the race three times in succession, a feat he accomplished from 1953 to 1955. He also won the Tour's King of the Mountains competition in 1950. Bobet's exceptional career included victories in the French Road Race Championship (1950 & 51), Milan-Sanremo (1951), Giro di Lombardia (1951), …
- Jan Janssen
Johannes Adrianus Janssen, popularly known as Jan Janssen (born May 19 1940) is a Dutch former professional cyclist (1962 - 1973). He was world champion and winner of the Tour de France.
- Joop Zoetemelk
Gerardus Joseph ("Joop") Zoetemelk is a retired cyclist from The Netherlands. He is listed as the 8th greatest road cyclist of all time in Daniel Marszalek's internationally acknowledged weighted ranking, edging out luminaries like Fausto Coppi and Roger De Vlaeminck. After winning a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City in the Team 100k Time Trial (along with Fedor den Hertog, Jan Krekels and René Pijnen) Zoetemelk turned professional.
- Abraham Olano
Abraham Olano Manzano is a former professional cyclist from Spain. He gained limited fame in 1995 when he became World Road Champion and in 1998 he won the World Time Trial Championship. An under-achieving stage racer, Olano was only able to place third in the Giro d'Italia in 1996 and second in 2001, even though he won a depleted Vuelta a España in 1998. He also won some other smaller stage races. In November 2006 he ran the San Sebastian marathon in a time of 2:39:19.
- Alfredo Binda
Alfredo Binda (August 11, 1902-January 1, 1986) was an Italian cyclist of the 1920s and 1930s, later trainer of Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. Although born in Cittiglio near Varese, Binda grew up in Nice, in southern France. Learning to become a plasterer, Binda could often be found at the cycling track. His real cycling talent, however, was as a climbing specialist. Binda became a professional in 1922, and although he scored several victories, …
- Giuseppe Saronni
Giuseppe Saronni (born 22 September 1957), also known as Beppe Saronni, is an Italian former cyclist. Born in Novara, Piedmont, Saronni turned professional in 1977. During his career, that lasted until 1989, he won 193 races. In Italy he gave birth to a famous rivalry with Francesco Moser, like those of Binda with Guerra, and Coppi with Bartali. In 1978 Saronni won three stages in the Giro d'Italia. In total he would win 24 stages in this race, …
- 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), …
- Óscar Freire
Óscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. Freire is considered one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the World Cycling Championship on a record-equalling three occasions, along with Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx, and the cycling monument Milan-Sanremo on two occasions, all in sprint finishes.
- 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).
- Laurent Brochard
Laurent Brochard (born on March 26, 1968 in Le Mans, France) is a professional male cyclist from France. In 1997 he won a stage of the Tour de France and became World Road Racing Champion in San Sebastian, Spain. Brochard was a competitive runner and only started cycling competitively at age 19. He started his career with team Castorama and eventually became part of the Festina team. His role within Festina was often called that of the "super-domestique", …
- Rudi Altig
Rudi Altig is a former leading professional track and road racing cyclist during the 1960s and a current TV commentator. In 1960 and 1961, Altig became world champion in the individual pursuit on the track. On the road in 1962, he rode the Vuelta a España, winning three stages and taking overall victory. Later that summer, he wore the "maillot jaune" for five days in the Tour de France, winning three stages and the overall points competition, …
- Georges Speicher
Georges Speicher was a French cyclist who won the 1933 Tour de France, and the 1933 World Cycling 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.
- Hennie Kuiper
Hennie Kuiper is a Dutch former professional cyclist who is ranked in the top 50 greatest riders in the history of the sport. His career highlights include a gold medal in the Olympic road race at Munich in 1972, becoming World professional road race champion in 1975, as well as winning four of the five “Monument” classics. He rode the Tour de France on twelve occasions finishing second twice and winning the famed stage to Alpe d'Huez on two occasions.
- Stan Ockers
Constant ("Stan") Ockers was a Belgian professional racing cyclist. He was runner-up in the Tour de France in 1950 and 1952, and the best sprinter in that race in 1955 and 1956. In 1955 he won the Classic "Ardennes double" by winning La Flèche Wallonne and the Liège-Bastogne-Liège in the same year. At this time the races were run on successive days as "Le Weekend Ardennais". He also won the World Cycling Championship that year.
- André Darrigade
André Darrigade is a former French professional road bicycle racer who raced between 1951 and 1966. Darrigade, known as a sprint specialist is most famous for winning the 1959 World Cycling Championship and twice winning the maillot vert (or green jersey) as the best sprinter at the 1959 and 1961 Tour de France. Darrigade also won one 'Monument' Classic: the 1956 Giro di Lombardia.
- Patrick Sercu
Patrick Sercu (born June 27, 1944 in Roeselare) is a former Belgian cyclist, best known for his exploits on the tracks. He won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Sercu is also known for winning several six-day track races with cycling great Eddy Merckx. Sercu was a top performer on the tracks, being twice World Champion in the Sprint discipline and a popular competitor in the Madison in addition to his Olympic victory.
- Ferdinand Kübler
Ferdinand "Ferdi" Kübler is a retired Swiss cyclist with over 100 professional racing victories to his name, including the 1950 Tour de France. Born July 24 1919, he began racing professionally in 1940 but his early career was limited to competition within Switzerland by the Nazi occupation of much of Europe. He was many times Swiss national champion and twice winner of the Tour de Suisse. Kubler’s most successful years in international racing were 1950-1952, …
- Igor Astarloa
Igor Astarloa Askasibar (born on March 29, 1976 in Ermua, Basque Country) is a cyclist from Spain. He gained international fame when he became World Road Champion in 2003. During the 2006 transfer season for cyclist, it was announced that he would leave Team Barloworld (the Continental Circuit team for which Astarloa has ridden the last several years) for the German Team Milram, which is a member of the elite UCI ProTour.
- Michael Rogers
Michael Rogers (born 20 December, 1979) is an Australian professional road bicycle racer. Rogers turned professional in 1999 with the Italian super-team Mapei, which, following sponsorship changes, became Quick Step-Davitamon and then Quick Step-Innergetic. In 2005 Rogers joined the T-Mobile Team and has been appointed as it's leader for the 2007, Tour de France. He is often called "Mick Rogers" or "Dodger".
- Jan Raas
Jan Raas (born November 8, 1952, Heinkenszand) is a Dutch former professional cyclist whose 115 career wins include the 1979 World Road Race Championship in Valkenburg, he also won three of the sports "Monuments": the Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1979 and 1983, Paris-Roubaix in 1982 and the Milan-Sanremo in 1977, he also took the Dutch Classic, the Amstel Gold Race on five occasions and won ten stages in the Tour de France.
- Claude Criquielion
Claude Criquielion (born January 11, 1957 in Lessines, Hainaut) is a former Belgian professional road bicycle racer who raced between 1979 through 1990. In 1984, Criquielion became the world road race champion and donned the rainbow jersey and gold medal in Barcelona, Spain at the UCI World Cycling Road Championships.
- Chris Horner
Christopher Horner (born October 23 1971) is an American professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for the cycling team "Predictor-Lotto" from Belgium. Originally from Bend, Oregon, Horner has been a dominating figure in the American road racing scene by winning the points standings in the 2002, 2003 and 2004 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar.
- Luc Leblanc
Luc Leblanc (born on August 4, 1966 in Limoges, France) was a professional male cyclist from France. In 1994 he became World Road Champion.
- Marino Basso
Marino Basso is an Italian former professional road cyclist, who won the World Cycling Championship in 1972. Basso was born at Rettorgole di Caldogno, in the Veneto. He was one of the main sprinters of 1970s, often duelling with Belgians Patrick Sercu, Guido Reybroeck and Roger de Vlaeminck, and fellow Italian Dino Zandegù. Basso won a total of 15 stages at the Giro d'Italia, 6 at the Tour de France and 6 at the Vuelta a España.
- Michele Bartoli
Michele Bartoli (born May 27, 1970) is a retired Italian road racing cyclist. He was a single-day race specialist, winning three of the five Monument races in his career. Bartoli twice won the UCI Road World Cup annual competition (1997 and 1998).
- Jean-Pierre Monseré
Jean-Pierre Monseré (born September 8, 1948 in Roeselare - died March 15, 1971 in Sint-Pieters-Lille <sup></sup>) was a Belgian cyclist. He became a professional in 1969, and won the Giro di Lombardia that same year. One year later he became the Belgian and World Champion. In 1971 he repeated as Belgian champion. Shortly thereafter, on March 15, he fell when hit by a car during the GP Retie and died.
- Jean Aerts
Jean Aerts was a Belgian road bicycle racer who specialized as a sprinter. Aerts became the first man to win both the world amateur (1927) and professional (1935) road race championships. In 1935, Aerts captured first place and the gold medal at the professional World Cycling Championship in Floreffe, Belgium. In 1927, professional and amateur riders rode concurrently at the Nürburgring in Germany and Aerts finished 5th overall, the highest ranked amateur of the event.
- Hans Knecht
Hans Knecht was an Swiss professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was winning the World Cycling Championship in 1946. He was a professional cyclist from 1939 to 1949.
- Kurt Asle Arvesen
Kurt Asle Arvesen (born February 9, 1975 in Molde) is a professional road bicycle racer from Eresfjord, Norway. He is currently part of the Danish Team CSC, where he has been since 2004. After winning the gold medal at the 1997 Under-23 World Championship as an amateur, Arvesen turned pro with Italian team Asics in 1998, where later Team CSC teammate Ivan Basso rode as a stagiare. The two riders moved on to Davide Boifava's team, Riso Scotti-Vinavil in 1999, …
- Steve Bauer
Steven Todd Bauer (born June 12, 1959 in St. Catharines, Ontario) is a former professional road bicycle racer from Canada. Bauer joined the Canadian national cycling team in 1977, competing in team pursuit. He would remain on the national team for seven years, winning the national road race championship in 1981, 1982, and 1983, competing in the Commonwealth Games (1978, 1982), …
- Marcel Kint
Marcel Kint (Zwevegem, 20 September 1914 - Kortrijk, 23 March 2002) was a Belgium professional road bicycle racer who won 31 races between 1935 and 1951. His finest year was in 1938 when he won the World Cycling Championship, three stages of the Tour de France and the unofficial season long competition, which is today's equivalent to the UCI ProTour champion (or formerly the World Cup champion).
- Dominique Cornu
Dominique Cornu (Beveren; born October 10, 1985) is a Belgian road and track cyclist from Flanders who specializes in the time trial. At the 2006 World Cycling Championship he was crowned U23 Time Trial World Champion. He had previously won the Junior Belgian Time Trial Championship in 2003 and 2004, and in 2005 he became the Belgian U23 time trial Champion.
- Serhiy Honchar
Serhiy Honchar (translit.: Serhiy Honchar; ; ; translit.: Sergey Gonchar) (born July 3, 1970 in Rivne) is a Ukrainian professional road racing cyclist. He is a former World Time Trial Champion. In the 2006 Tour de France, Honchar wore the maillot jaune after a time-trial win in stage 7. His name is commonly Latinized as "Honchar", but his name is pronounced as "Gonchar". This error occurs because in Ukrainian "Г" is pronounced as "h" and in Russian "Г" as "g".
- Andrea Peron
Andrea Peron (born August 14, 1971 in Varese, Italy) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer. Peron turned professional in 1993, riding for team Gatorade. He is a strong time trialist, with good results in the Italian championships, as well as a 5th place at the 1996 World Time-Trial Championships. Since 2002, he has been riding as an experienced domestique on Team CSC. Before the 2004 Tour de France, rumours surfaced in the French newspaper Le Monde that Peron, …
- Ryder Hesjedal
Ryder Hesjedal (born December 9, 1980 in Victoria, British Columbia) in is a Canadian professional cyclist who currently rides for the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis cycling team. He is a former mountain biker (having won a silver medal at the 2001 U23 World Mountain Bike Championships) and in 2005 turned professional with the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team after spending several years with the Rabobank amateur team.
- Romāns Vainšteins
Romāns Vainšteins is a former professional road bicycle racer from Latvia. Vainšteins won the road race and therefore the title of World Cycling Champion at the 2000 World Cycling Championship in Plouay, France. He won the 268.9 km road race, covering the distance in 6 hours, 15 minutes, and 28 seconds. 158 sportsmen took part in the World Championship road race. In 2001 he came in 3rd in the Paris-Roubaix race, behind the winner Servais Knaven.