The Most Famous
CYCLISTS from Luxembourg
This page contains a list of the greatest Luxembourger Cyclists. The pantheon dataset contains 1,613 Cyclists, 10 of which were born in Luxembourg. This makes Luxembourg the birth place of the 26th most number of Cyclists behind South Africa, and Belarus.
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Luxembourger Cyclists of all time. This list of famous Luxembourger Cyclists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Luxembourger Cyclists.
1. Charly Gaul (1932 - 2005)
With an HPI of 58.02, Charly Gaul is the most famous Luxembourger Cyclist. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages on wikipedia.
Charly Gaul (8 December 1932 – 6 December 2005) was a Luxembourgish professional cyclist. He was a national cyclo-cross champion, an accomplished time triallist and superb climber. His ability earned him the nickname of Angel of the Mountains in the 1958 Tour de France, which he won with four stage victories. He also won the Giro d'Italia in 1956 and 1959. Gaul rode best in cold, wet weather. In later life, he became a recluse and lost much of his memory.
2. Nicolas Frantz (1899 - 1985)
With an HPI of 56.01, Nicolas Frantz is the 2nd most famous Luxembourger Cyclist. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.
Nicolas Frantz (Luxembourgish pronunciation: [nikoːlɑs ˈfʀɑnts]; 4 November 1899 – 8 November 1985) was a Luxembourgish bicycle racer with 60 professional racing victories over his 12-year career (1923 to 1934). He rode for the Thomann team in 1923 and then for Alcyon-Dunlop from 1924 to 1931. He won the Tour de France in 1927 and 1928. Nicolas Frantz was the son of a prosperous farming family. Frantz could have taken over the farm but had no interest in it. In 1914 he rode his first race. He won. That convinced him that farming was not for him. He was close to unbeatable in Luxembourg until the start of the first world war. Frantz, a well-built man weighing 80 kg, turned professional in 1923. He had immediate success, winning Paris-Lyon and the GP Faber. His advantage in stage races was his consistent health and fitness. He rode the Tour de France for the first time in 1924, won two stages and finished second just 35 minutes and 36 seconds behind Ottavio Bottecchia. In 1925 and 1926 he won another four stages and finished fourth and second respectively. Frantz then dominated the race for two successive years. He won three stages in 1927 and won overall. He was seventeen minutes behind the race-leader Hector Martin before start of the stage to Luchon but finished in yellow. His second stage win was between Toulon and Nice and the final win was at Metz. He finished an hour and forty eight minutes ahead of second placed Maurice De Waele. He wore the yellow jersey from the first to last day in 1928, the only rider since Ottavio Bottecchia to have done so. (Bottecchia however didn't wear the yellow jersey during the first stage in 1924). In that race, the frame of his bicycle broke on a level-crossing during the 19th stage with 100 km remaining. He borrowed an undersized, women’s bicycle and was helped back into the race by his Alcyon domestiques. He exchanged it for another Alcyon bicycle, which he rode to victory in Paris ahead of teammates Andre Leducq and De Waele. After winning stage seven of the 1929 Tour in Bordeaux, Frantz was one of three yellow jerseys on the same time in general classification with Leducq and Victor Fontan. However, the following day, Gaston Rebry ended the embarrassment of multiple leaders. Despite leading the race at one point in stage 10, a puncture cost him the yellow jersey before the end of day and he eventually finished the Tour in fifth place. His last chance of a podium finish was gone and he entered the Tour only once more, in 1932 when he finished in a lowly 45th place. Frantz won Paris–Brussels in 1927 and Paris–Tours in 1929. He twice finished in the first three of the world championship. He also won the championship of Luxembourg for 12 consecutive years (1923-1934. After racing, he became directeur sportif of the Luxembourg and Luxembourg Mixed teams in the Tour de France from 1949 to 1957. He was the first national team manager of Charly Gaul in the Tour de France. Frantz was succeeded by Jean Goldschmit. Frantz was a taciturn man. He retired to the village of Mamer and died there in 1985.
3. Johny Schleck (b. 1942)
With an HPI of 46.51, Johny Schleck is the 3rd most famous Luxembourger Cyclist. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Johny Schleck (born 22 November 1942) is a former professional cyclist from Luxembourg.
4. Andy Schleck (b. 1985)
With an HPI of 44.47, Andy Schleck is the 4th most famous Luxembourger Cyclist. His biography has been translated into 38 different languages.
Andy Raymond Schleck (pronounced [ˈɑndi ˈʀɑɪmont ˈʃlæk]; born 10 June 1985) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 2010 Tour de France, being awarded it retroactively in February 2012 after Alberto Contador's hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He has also been the runner-up at the Tour twice; in 2009 and 2011. He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, also a professional rider between 2003 and 2016. Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974.
5. Fränk Schleck (b. 1980)
With an HPI of 42.66, Fränk Schleck is the 5th most famous Luxembourger Cyclist. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.
Fränk René Schleck (born 15 April 1980) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2016, for Team Saxo Bank and Trek–Segafredo. Schleck is the older brother of Andy, winner of the 2010 Tour de France. Their father, Johny Schleck, was a professional road bicycle racer between 1965 and 1974, as was their grandfather, Gustave Schleck, who contested events in the 1930s. Schleck's greatest achievements include five national road race championships, winning the Queen stage of the 2006 Tour de France, which finished on the Alpe d'Huez, the 2006 edition of the Amstel Gold Race classic, and an alpine stage of the 2009 Tour de France, finishing in the sole company of his brother Andy and Alberto Contador. On 30 January 2013, Schleck was suspended for 12 months following a positive test for xipamide at the 2012 Tour de France. The ban, backdated to the date of the positive test, expired on 13 July 2013.
6. Kim Kirchen (b. 1978)
With an HPI of 39.28, Kim Kirchen is the 6th most famous Luxembourger Cyclist. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Kim Kirchen (born 3 July 1978 in Luxembourg City) is a Luxembourgian former road racing cyclist. He is the son of cyclist Erny Kirchen and the great-nephew of cyclist Jeng Kirchen.
7. Bob Jungels (b. 1992)
With an HPI of 34.32, Bob Jungels is the 7th most famous Luxembourger Cyclist. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.
Bob Jungels (born 22 September 1992) is a Luxembourgish road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam Bora–Hansgrohe.
8. Jempy Drucker (b. 1986)
With an HPI of 30.56, Jempy Drucker is the 8th most famous Luxembourger Cyclist. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Jean-Pierre "Jempy" Drucker (born 3 September 1986) is a retired Luxembourgish professional racing cyclist.
9. Christine Majerus (b. 1987)
With an HPI of 29.67, Christine Majerus is the 9th most famous Luxembourger Cyclist. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Christine Majerus (born 25 February 1987) is a Luxembourgish professional road and cyclo-cross cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam Team SD Worx–Protime. She won the 2013 Sparkassen Giro Bochum one-day road race and the general classification of the 2019 Holland Ladies Tour. Majerus is one of the most dominant cyclists to come out of Luxembourg and is a 41-time national champion, holding 16 time trial titles, 12 cyclo-cross titles and 13 road race titles. She was named Luxembourgish Sportswoman of the Year in 2013 and in every ceremony from 2015 to 2021.
10. Laurent Didier (b. 1984)
With an HPI of 28.91, Laurent Didier is the 10th most famous Luxembourger Cyclist. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Laurent Didier (born 19 July 1984) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer, who competed between 2006 and 2018 for the Kuota–Senges, Designa Køkken, Saxo Bank–SunGard and Trek–Segafredo teams.
People
Pantheon has 12 people classified as Luxembourger cyclists born between 1899 and 1992. Of these 12, 10 (83.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Luxembourger cyclists include Johny Schleck, Andy Schleck, and Fränk Schleck. The most famous deceased Luxembourger cyclists include Charly Gaul, and Nicolas Frantz. As of April 2024, 2 new Luxembourger cyclists have been added to Pantheon including Christine Majerus, and Alex Kirsch.
Living Luxembourger Cyclists
Go to all Rankings
Johny Schleck
1942 - Present
HPI: 46.51
Andy Schleck
1985 - Present
HPI: 44.47
Fränk Schleck
1980 - Present
HPI: 42.66
Kim Kirchen
1978 - Present
HPI: 39.28
Bob Jungels
1992 - Present
HPI: 34.32
Jempy Drucker
1986 - Present
HPI: 30.56
Christine Majerus
1987 - Present
HPI: 29.67
Laurent Didier
1984 - Present
HPI: 28.91
Alex Kirsch
1992 - Present
HPI: 28.24
Ben Gastauer
1987 - Present
HPI: 27.09
