The Tour de France, one of cycling’s three Grand Tours, has taken place every year since it’s creation in 1903 (other than during the two World Wars).
It is a gruelling 23-day challenge through July, demanding immense stamina from the riders before the race finishes along Paris’ Champs Elysees, which is one of the most famous, iconic moments in the sporting year.
Tour de France success, and wearing the yellow jersey, is the highlight of any cyclist’s career. Some have been lucky enough to win the Tour on more than one occasion – this article looks at the most successful cyclists in Tour history...
Chris Froome
Only five riders have won four or more Tour de France titles – Chris Froome is one of them. Froome finished second overall behind Bradley Wiggins in 2012, assisting his teammate to become the first ever British Tour de France winner.
He won his first Tour in 2013, but was forced to pull out in 2014 after several crashes. Returning in 2015, Froome won three in a row, and in 2017/18 he achieved something spectacular.
Having won the Vuelta a Espana in 2017, Froome added the 2018 Giro d’Italia and the 2018 Tour de France to become the first rider since 1983 to hold the winners’ jerseys for all three Grand Tours at the same time.
Whatever happens in the remainder of his career, he is an icon of British cycling and has booked his place in sporting history.
Froome will unfortunately miss the 2019 Tour de France because of injury. Follow 888Sport’s blog to keep up to date with the latest Team GB cycling news and tips.
Lance Armstrong
This one is obviously controversial, and Lance Armstrong was actually stripped of his seven titles, but his successes are still a part of the Tour de France’s history, even if it’s a part the world of cycling would rather forget.
Armstrong won every Tour de France from 1999 to 2005. In 2012, he was officially stripped of all of them after years of allegations about doping.
He continued to deny any use of performance-enhancing substance until 2013, often clashing with fellow cyclists such as Christophe Bassons, who regularly mentioned doping in the sport.
Miguel Indurain
Racing for Banesto in the 1990s, Miguel Indurain won five Tour de France titles in a row from 1991 to 1995. No one has won more Tours than Indurain, and no other rider has won five in a row.
An understated star of the sport, Indurain was a quiet leader of his team, and reluctant to face comparison with previous Tour winners. Standing at 6’2”, the Spaniard was considered a physical freak with a resting heart rate as low as 28 beats per minute.
Indurain pushed for a sixth Tour victory in 1996 but he struggled to keep pace after bronchitis in the first week and finished 11th. He officially retired in January 1997 as one of the greatest cyclists of all-time.
Fellow Spaniard Mikel Landa is 20/1 to win the 2019 Tour de France in 888’s sports betting odds.
Jacques Anquetil
Between 1957 and 1964, Jacques Anquetil won the Tour de France on five occasions. He famously stated before the start of the 1961 Tour that he would earn the yellow jersey on day one and wear it all the way through – which he did.
In the year of his fifth and final Tour win, Anquetil won BBC’s international personality award and was shortly after named French Sportsman of the Year.
He retired in 1969, and famously only cycled three times after that, claiming that he had spent enough time on a bike.
Bernard Hinault
Another five-time Tour de France winner, Bernard Hinault battled through multiple knee injuries to rack up an astonishing CV. He is the most recent French winner of the Tour, claiming his fifth victory in 1985.
Hinault’s early success came with Renault, winning in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1982. Losing out to his teammate Laurent Fignon saw a dispute with the team, though, and he departed to join Greg LeMond at La Vie Claire.
He won the 1985 Tour with the help of LeMond, completing a Giro D’Italia-Tour de France double for the second time in his career.
Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx is not just the joint-most successful Tour de France cyclist, he also holds the record for most overall Grand Tour victories. Between 1970 and 1974, Merckx completed four Grand Tour doubles, including the first-ever cycling Triple Crown in 1974.
Regarded by many as the greatest ever, Merckx has remained a prominent figure in the cycling world since retiring in 1978.
He coached the Belgian national team for over a decade in the 1980s and 1990s and has played a significant role in organising events in the Middle East.
Will we ever see a rider like Merck again? 888Sport is the place to be for all the latest Tour de France cycling odds.
Greg LeMond
Considered to be the greatest American cyclist ever, Greg LeMond won the Tour de France three times. His successes came between 1986 and 1990, and he remains the only American to have won the Tour.
The two times he didn’t win in that span were in 1987 and 1988, when he was unavailable for the event because of accident while hunting.
LeMond has been a vocal campaigner against doping, challenging Lance Armstrong on numerous occasions. He’s been no stranger to conflict and remains a key voice in cycling despite retiring a quarter of a century ago.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Daniel Cole / AP Photo*
